Klimes, Trimboli, Holm Lift Catamounts Over Holy Cross

By Bruce Bosley, UVM Athletic Communications Office

Monday, November 28, 2005

BURLINGTON, VT. - Strong rebounding and a combined 43 points from Martin Klimes (Prague, Czech Republic) and Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) lifted Vermont over Holy Cross, 68-64, in men's college basketball Monday night at Patrick Gym.

The win, in a meeting of two of the top mid-major programs in New England, was the second straight for the Catamounts (2-3).

Klimes led all scorers with 22 points, his third straight game of 20 or more points, while Trimboli chipped in 21 points and six assists. Chris Holm (Henderson, Nev.) also had 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds as Vermont outrebounded the Crusaders, 40-22, with a 17-10 edge on the offensive glass.

"This is a great win for our team and our program," said first year Vermont coach Mike Lonergan. "In my 19 years of coaching I have never had a team work this hard. By working our butts off, especially on defense and on the boards, we were able to beat a very well-coached team tonight."

Behind 12 points by Klimes and strong defense that limited the visitors to hit just two of its first 14 shots, the Catamounts led the entire opening stanza and took a 34-26 lead into the locker room.

Holy Cross bounced back as five points by Kevin Hamilton fueled a 10-2 run to take a 40-39 lead six minutes into the second half. Vermont then tightened its defense again, and used strong rebounding, to hold the Crusaders scoreless for a span of 7:32 to go up 54-44 with 4:32 left. A 3-pointer by Ryan Schneider (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and two free throws by Trimboli gave Vermont its biggest advantage, 61-48, with 2:21 to go before Holy Cross began to claw back. Pat Doherty scored eight points in a 30-second span to cut the UVM lead to three points before Chad Powlovich (Jericho, Vt.) hit a pair of free throws to ice the game. Vermont, behind Trimboli going 8-for-8, went 14-for-20 from the line in the second half.

Klimes went 6-for-9 from the floor and 10-for-16 from the line, and also had a season-high nine rebounds. The Cats strong inside attack was also bolstered by Holm's first career double-double while Schneider added nine points and eight boards. Vermont shot 43 percent from the floor compared to 42 percent for the Crusaders but pounded the ball inside to create scoring opportunities at the free throw stripe. UVM went 29-for-43 (67 percent) at the line for the game.

Keith Simmons led Holy Cross (2-3) with 18 points and five rebounds while Hamilton, the 2005 Patriot League Player of the Year, came off the bench to score 14, and Doherty added 12. Also for the Crusaders, who have now lost three straight after opening the campaign with the William and Mary Tip Off title, Torey Thomas had a game-high seven assists.

Vermont next plays at Iona on Sunday at 2 p.m. (Radio: WXZO 96.7 FM, WEAV 960 AM, WCVR 102.1 FM; Internet: www.sportsjuice.com). The Catamounts return home to open America east play hosting New Hampshire on Saturday, December 10 at 1:00pm. General admission tickets are available for all Vermont regular season home games at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-866-4-CAT-TIX. Tickets are also available on line at www.uvmathletics.com.