The Yale men’s basketball team will look to keep up the momentum gained from its thrilling last-second victory against the University of Hartford when they take on Vermont’s Catamounts Monday night at the John J. Amphitheater.

Wednesday’s hard-fought, back-and-forth battle, capped by an emphatic Mike Sands ’11 dunk with just two seconds remaining in regulation, improved the Bulldogs’ record to 3–5 on the young season. Yale outrebounded Hartford 38-26 in the contest, due in large part to a corps of big men that are gaining experience and getting healthy.

Sands, who has moved into a starting role for the first time in his career this season, has stepped up for the Elis, averaging just over nine points and six rebounds per game. He’s joined in the frontcourt by Paul Nelson ’10, who, after suffering an ankle injury early in the season and missing four games, has come on strong in the past two games, recording his first career double-double in Wednesday’s contest. Reggie Willhite ’12 has also capitalized on increased minutes this season, providing versatility off the bench.

They will combine with the potent scoring tandem of captain Alex Zampier ’10 and fellow senior Jordan Gibson ’10, each of whom are averaging double-digit points per game. Zampier’s 19.8 points per game lead the team, but has also dished out 20 assists, including the crucial pass to Sands in Wednesday’s win.

Zampier will lead the Elis against the 6-4 Catamounts who come into the game on a two-game winning streak after dominating Toledo 82–49 Sunday and taking down Dartmouth 63–58 Tuesday.

Yale’s climb to .500 continues Monday at 7 p.m. at John J. Lee Amphitheater.