• Season: 1970-71
• Date: Saturday, February 6, 1971
• Opponent: Vermont
• Start Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Site: Curry Hicks Cage
• Special Event: Yankee Conference game

• Result: UMass 86, Vermont 51
• Attendance: 4,000

Catamounts Bring Back OT Memories
By Earle Barroll, The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Staff Reporter, February 5, 1971

Cartoon by Fred Rosenthal, Mass. Daily Collegian. Text on the book reads: “How To Cook Catamount Stew In Regulation Time”

Way back in the first week of December an out-manned University of Vermont basketball team put a scare into the UMass hoopmen by taking them into overtime before falling to defeat. Tomorrow night these same Catamounts come into Curry Hicks Cage to do battle once again with the Redmen with tap-off set for 7:30.

What Vermont has lacked in ability it has made up for with discipline on offense and a rather wild, scrambling, board crashing defense. Vermont coach Art Loche has been cited many times as one of the top hoop mentors in New England and he always has his team ready to play.

The Catamounts were certainly ready to play in early December and tomorrow night should be no different. They come into this contest with a record of 6 wins and 8 defeats and they realize that a big upset over the Redmen would make the season a success regardless of their final record.

The Catamounts have a starting five of Ray Ortiz and Jim Ducey at the guards, Mark Miller at center, and Tom Clay and Richard Trela at forwards.

Miller is one of the top rebounders in New England and also scores well from inside. In the first contest he was very instrumental in getting the ball off the boards on both ends of the court and contributed 16 points offensively.

Clay and Trela scored 11 and 10 points in the first contest. Clay is the captain of the team and is a smooth performer from his corner position. Alternating with the two at forward will be 6’9 John Deibert who scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds in the game at Burlington.

UMass will counter with the same starting five that crashed Iona last night. That means the starters will be John Betancourt, Mike Pagliara, Julius Erving, Chris Coffin and Tom McLaughlin.

Cagers Roll
Redmen Over UVM
By Earle Barroll, The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Staff Reporter, February 8, 1971

Mass. Daily Collegian photo

Turning Vermont’s game plan into Catamount errors, the UMass basketball team assumed control right from the start and coasted to an easy 86-51 victory at Curry Hicks Cage Saturday night before a crowd of 4000.

As was expected the Catamounts tried the same early game tactics that they used so successfully in the first meeting between the two teams two months before. With their inferior caliber of player this was their only prayer.

But this is two months later and the Redmen were waiting as all the shuffling of players in and out of the line-up and the intentions of getting early fouls on the Redmen went for not as UMass put it to Vermont right from the start and dashed any of its hopes with a quick assault that vaulted them into a commanding lead by the halfway point of the first half.

Upping their record to 15-2, the Redman starting five of Julius Erving, Tom McLaughlin, Chris Coffin, John Betancourt and Mike Pagliara played its cool during the early moments letting Vermont dig its own grave and then put the finishing touches on with nifty outside shooting, control of both the offensive and defensive boards and for final measure probably their most effective press to date.

At half time the score stood at 42-24, the verdict already in, with the second half more of the same with the Redman bench getting into the picture for the second game in a row.

Erving led all scorers for the umpteenth time with 26 points and also had 20 rebounds for his night’s work.

Coffin and McLaughlin put in solid performances from their corner positions, especially in the first half as Coffin had seven points and 10 rebounds and McLaughlin had 10 points and five rebounds in the first twenty minutes of action.

For the evening Coffin’s stats read nine and 11 and for McLaughlin, 14 and six.

Pagliara turned in an outstanding 35 minutes of basketball in the contest and the applaudets he received upon leaving the game bear this out. Besides his 10 points and eight assists his defense was stingy and his leadership was instrumental in the early Redman surge.

A welcome surprise for this game was the return to form of Ken Mathias who furnished his finest outing since his return to any lengthy action. His return will be a big boost to the Redmen in their coming encounters.

Playing his longest stint of the season Bill Greeley hit on four of five shots for eight points, three of his shots from the downtown range.

For Vermont, its record now standing at 6-10, Mark Miller and Jim Ducey were the only spots in the rather impotent Catamount attack, as they accounted for almost half of their team’s points.

CAGE COMMENT – UMass shot only 43% from the floor and 63% from the line… Vermont managed to hit on only 35% of its attempts from the floor and 65% from the charity stripe… In rebounding the Redmen had an overwhelming advantage of 60 to 37 and at times it appeared Erving and company were having rebound drills at the expense of the Catamounts… For the first time this season the Redmen were under double figures in turnovers with nine… If one puts these stats in perspective then the final margin is no surprise… In other weekend hoop action of interest to UMass hoop fans, Fordham defeated Boston College in overtime, 54-50, at B.C., and Syracuse, whom the Redmen play February 22, upset 12th ranked LaSalle 75-68 at Syracuse.