BURLINGTON — TJ Hurley’s 17 points helped Vermont defeat Bryant 59-55 during Thursday’s America East men’s college basketball showdown.

Hurley went 7 of 19 from the field, including a 2-for-6 effort from 3-point range for the Catamounts. Ileri Ayo-Faleye added 15 points in the winning effort while making 6 of 9 attempts. He was 2 for 3 from beyond the arc and also swatted away three shots on the defensive end and teammate Shamir Bogues was 5 of 11 from the field and finished with 11 points.

Rafael Pinzon led the Bulldogs in scoring, finishing with 17 points. Barry Evans added 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks for Bryant and teammate Earl Timberlake had eight points and eight rebounds.

Vermont earned its fifth straight victory and improves to 16-11 overall and 9-3 in league action. The Bulldogs are 17-11 overall and 11-2 against conference opponents.

“Great win against a really good Bryant team,” UVM coach John Becker said. “I want to thank the fans for coming out tonight. It was a slugfest tonight and I thought Bryant played really hard and physical. TJ had to work for everything and Ileri kept us in the game in the first half. I thought the play of Noah Barnett changed a lot for us. He guarded multiple guys and nine rebounds. I was really happy for him.”

Bryant started the game off with a 14-4 run in the first four minutes. Thanks to back-to-back Ileri Ayo-Faleye 3-pointers, the Catamounts trailed 14-10 at the 14:22 mark. At the 12-minute media timeout, Vermont capped off a 13-0 run with a Nick Fiorillo corner 3-pointer for a 17-14 advantage.

After a couple lead changes, Bogues threw down a dunk to give UVM a 22-20 lead with nine minutes remaining. With five minutes left in the first half, Hurley knocked down a deep 3-point bank shot to give Vermont a 27-25 lead. Bryant ended the half with an 8-3 run and carried a 33-30 lead into the break.

Hurley kicked off the second half by throwing down a dunk after a shot fake. A Fiorillo right-wing 3-pointer helped UVM climb its way back while trailing 40-41 at the 12-minute media timeout.

At the 9:30 mark in the second half Bogues drove toward the basket and finished at the rim to tie the game at 45-45. With five minutes remaining Ayo-Faleye hit a fadeaway mid-range jumper as the shot clock expired, giving UVM a 52-49 advantage.

At the 3:10 mark Hurley knocked down a floater to extend the lead 55-51. Bryant tied the game at 55-55 before Hurley made a left-handed shot with one minute remaining. With 15 seconds left to play a Noah Barnett steal led to an Ayo-Faleye fast-break dunk to seal the victory.

The Catamounts will return to action at 4:30 p.m. Saturday with a home game vs. UMass-Lowell.

VERMONT 59, BRYANT 55

BRYANT (17-11)

Evans 5-8 2-2 14, Mitchell 1-6 0-4 2, Withers 1-8 2-2 4, Pinzon 6-20 4-6 17, Timberlake 3-9 2-4 8, Cramer 2-2 1-3 5, Farris 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 20-56 11-21 55.

VERMONT (16-11)

Ayo-Faleye 6-9 1-2 15, Fiorillo 3-9 1-2 9, Alamutu 1-5 0-0 2, Bogues 5-11 1-2 11, Hurley 7-19 1-2 17, Barnett 2-4 1-1 5, Roquemore 0-1 0-0 0, Joba 0-0 0-0 0, Blake 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-58 5-9 59. Halftime_Bryant 33-30. 3-Point Goals_Bryant 4-21 (Evans 2-3, Farris 1-2, Pinzon 1-7, Mitchell 0-2, Withers 0-7), Vermont 6-18 (Ayo-Faleye 2-3, Fiorillo 2-6, Hurley 2-6, Alamutu 0-1, Bogues 0-1, Roquemore 0-1). Fouled Out_Timberlake. Rebounds_Bryant 34 (Timberlake 8), Vermont 36 (Fiorillo, Barnett 9). Assists_Bryant 6 (Timberlake 3), Vermont 7 (Bogues 4). Total Fouls_Bryant 13, Vermont 18. A_2,386 (3,266).