MONTREAL -- Anthony Lamb, an all-conference forward from Rochester, N.Y., scored 19 points as the NCAA's Vermont Catamounts defeated McGill 77-57 in men's university preseason basketball at Love Competition Hall, Sunday.

It marked McGill's fourth consecutive loss to an NCAA squad this month and was the third straight win on Canadian soil for Vermont, an NCAA Div. 1 squad that finished atop the nine-team America East conference last year with a 15-1 record. The visitors never trailed in the contest, leading 16-12 after the opening quarter, 34-25 at the half and 59-40 after three, then edging McGill 18-17 in the final frame.

Other leading scorers for UVM included Robin Duncan (16), Ra Kpedi (12) and Ryan Davis (10).

The Catamounts dominated under the glass with a 36-23 margin in rebounding against McGill, which has now played four games in seven days.

The Redmen also had four players reach double figures in scoring, led by seniors Alex Paquin of Candiac, Que., and Noah Daoust of Dorval, Que., with 12 points apiece. Anthony Fisiru a 6-foot-4, 205-pound freshman from Gatineau, Que., and sophomore Levi Londole added 11 and 10, respectively.

Paquin, a six-foot point-guard, shot 4-for-12 from the floor and 2-for-6 from three-point range. He was 2-for-2 from the line, was credited with three assists and saw 30 minutes of court-time. The second-year transfer from American University in Washington, D.C., has been McGill's top scorer in all four preseason contests and is averaging 18.3 points per game.

Daoust, a fifth-year industrial relations senior, was and 4-for-8 shooting. The 6-foot-7, 221-pound forward made two of six attempts from the three-point arc and was 2-for-2 from the line. He added three rebounds and one blocked shot and played a game-high 33 minutes of court time.

The Redmen shot 33.3 per cent from the floor, 26.9 from downtown and 85.7 from the charity stripe. Vermont shot 47.0, 34.8 and 77.8, respectively. The Catamounts led in blocks (4) and steals (8-5) and held a favourable 15-12 advantage in turnovers.

"It was a good experience for our players to play a tough, physical team," said Redmen head coach David DeAveiro. "Vermont has been to the NCAA tournament and you must match their physicality to stay with them. These last four teams have given us some good game-tested experience but we've had more games than practices. We will now have more time to practice."

McGill, the defending Quebec conference champions, will now focus on snapping their four-game winless streak against the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday, Aug. 19 in a 3 p.m. matinee at Place Bell, in Laval, Que. A limited number of tickets are still available but a sellout is expected for the venue which has a seating capacity of 9,865.