NEWARK, DE – University of Vermont guard Mike Trimboli scored a game and career-high 25 points and forward Joe Trapani hit a three-pointer with 34 seconds left to clinch the win as the Catamounts kept the University of Delaware winless on the season with a 57-55 non-league men’s basketball victory Sunday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware (0-6), still looking for its first win under first-year head coach Monté Ross, let a double-figure lead in the first half slip away and held a four-point advantage with 1:38 remaining before suffering the loss.

The Hens have now lost six straight at home for the first time since the 1964-65 season. Sophomore guard Zaire Taylor (at right), coming off a career-high 30-point effort in a loss to Loyola Wednesday, led the Hens again with 19 points but no other Delaware player reached double figures.

The Hens shot just 36.4 percent from the field (20 of 55), were outrebounded by the Catamounts 42-30, and committed a season-high 16 turnovers. Forward Herb Courtney added nine points and seven rebounds but was held in single-digits scoring for the first time all season.

Vermont (4-4), which posted a win over Boston College earlier this season, also got 12 points from Trapani while center Chris Holm added six points and a game-high 16 rebounds and hit a free throw with two seconds left to seal the victory. The Catamounts, who had lost three of their previous four games, hit on 5 of 10 three-pointers, including three from Trimboli, and overcame 22 turnovers.

Vermont, a former America East conference opponent of Delaware, downed Delaware for the first time ever in Newark in 14 tries and improved to 2-15 all-time in Newark against all opponents. Delaware formerly served as host of the America East Tournament.

Delaware played some of its best basketball of the season early as the Blue Hens jumped out to a 20-9 lead with 8:43 left in the first half following a three-pointer by Sam McMahon. But the Hens managed just one field goal the rest of the stanza as Vermont followed with a 16-1 run to take control before Courtney hit a layup with 1:21 remaining. Trimboli, who scored Vermont’s final seven points of the half, hit two free throws with 58 seconds left to send the Catamounts up 27-24 heading into halftime.

The tightly-fought second half featured four lead changes as the Hens got a layup by Taylor with 14:50 left to go up 33-32 and Delaware held that lead until a layup by Marqus Blakely put Vermont up 49-47 with 4:42 remaining. Delaware used a 6-0 run to regain the lead, getting a jumper from Darrell Johnson with 3:32 left and a three-pointer by Taylor at the 1:38 mark to go up 55-51.

But Vermont broke a nearly three-minute scoring drought when Trapani converted a layup with 1:17 left to pull the Catamounts to within 55-53. After Courtney missed a three-pointer, Vermont got the ball back and took the lead as Trapani nailed a three-pointer with 34 seconds left to give the Catamounts the lead for good at 56-55. Delaware had the chance to win the game but Calvin Cannon and Darrell Johnson missed short jumpers in the final 10 seconds.

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