BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Boston University men's basketball team survived four players fouling out to defeat Vermont 69-64 in overtime Thursday night at Patrick Gymnasium. The Terriers were down to their final five players for much of the extra session but held on to sweep the season series from the Catamounts for the first time since 1996-97. BU won its second straight game and improved to 11-15 overall, 8-7 in America East play. UVM fell to 11-15, 7-8.

Kevin Gardner led the Terriers with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but fouled out with 2:25 remaining in regulation. Corey Hassan had 16 points but he fouled out with 34 seconds left in regulation. Martin Klimes led Vermont with 14 points, Chris Holm had 12 and Kyle Cieplicki finished with 11.

BU took control early and led by as many as 12 in the first half. The Terriers took a 32-25 edge into the halftime locker room, and increased that advantage to nine, 50-41 with 8:46 remaining in the game. Vermont roared back and cut the deficit to two, 54-52 with 4:02 left on Mike Trimboli's first 3-pointer of the game.

Gardner scored down low to give the Terriers' a four-point lead, but Ryan Schneider nailed a three to cut BU's lead to one, 56-55 with 3:04 remaining. The Catamounts preceded to hit four straight free throws in the next two minutes and had a 59-58 lead when Hassan fouled out with 34 seconds left. The Catamount's Chad Polowvich missed two free throws that could have give Vermont some cushion and BU's Shaun Wynn was able to send the game into overtime when he hit one of two charity tosses with 5.9 seconds left.

In the extra session, BU struck first on a pair of free throws from Brian Macon, and Marques Johnson's jumper put the Terriers ahead 63-59. Omari Peterkin and Ben Coblyn would both foul out in overtime, and Klimes hit two free throws to draw the Catamounts to within one, 63-62 with 36 seconds left. BU, which was down to nine active players coming into the game after forward Brendan Sullivan was suspended for the rest of the season last weekend, was forced to play the rest of the game with just five men.

Ironically, BU was in the same situation, down to its final five players in an 86-85 double-overtime loss in Burlington on Jan. 23, 2000. 

Tony Gaffney, seeing his first action in five games, broke free for a dunk to give BU a 65-62 lead, but Trimboli hit a jumper to bring UVM within one with 23 seconds left. However, Macon and Bryan Geffen hit 4-4 free throws down the stretch to secure the most improbable of victories for BU.

The Terriers held the Catamounts to just 35.3% (18-51) from the floor, Vermont's worst shooting percentage at home this season. UVM had won 15 of its previous 16 home games prior to Thursday night and had been a remarkable 57-6 at home since the middle of the 2000-01 season.

Gardner recorded his seventh double-double of the season and the eighth of his career. Meanwhile, the 5-10 Geffen had a career-high 10 rebounds. The Terriers helped themselves by shooting 75% (21-28) from the free throw line, while Vermont struggled at the charity stripe, hitting just 22-37 (59.5%). Klimes was just 6-14 from the line.

The Terriers are now alone in fourth place in the league standings with one game to play. BU can finish third with a win at Hartford on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the regular-season finale. A loss would drop them to either fourth or fifth place. The America East Tournament begins in Binghamton on Friday, Mar. 3.