Vermont 57 New Hampshire 40
A record breaking night and a hard fought win.
Brian Voelkel passed Kevin Roberson to become the all time leading rebounder in UVM history. A tremendous accomplishment for a special player. I am going to admit it right here and right now: Brian Voelkel is my favorite UVM player of all time. I just love the way he plays and how he affects the game in so many different ways. John Becker said last night that Voelkel was "a once in a lifetime player" and I completely agree. I dare say that there may never be a player like him again. I wonder if there really has even been one before. Voelkel also dished out his 600th assist in the game and that gives him 1,000 rebounds and 600 assists in his career. I would like to know how many other college basketball players are in that group. I have to think it is a pretty exclusive club. In true Brian Voelkel fashion he broke the record as part of a monster game where he finished with 7 points, 7 assists, and 15 rebounds. I just hope that everyone can appreciate what a special player he has been, not just at Vermont but in all of college basketball.
Back to the game. Vermont came out flat and could not buy a hoop in the first half. In the second half however, Vermont put together one of the most dominating halves of basketball I have ever seen. On the defensive side of the ball the Cats only allowed 10 points. That is not a misprint. New Hampshire shot 4-22 from the field en route to 10 second half points. Vermont has yet to allow a team to score 50 points in conference and looks really solid on the defensive end. Ethan O'Day continues to be a big part of the lockdown defense as he had 5 second half blocks. On the offensive side of the ball Vermont did not turn the ball over. That is an unbelievable statistic and demonstrates how locked in the Cats were as a team. Also, Kurt Steidl happened. The freshman came off the bench to light it up by scoring 13 of his 16 points during the game changing 19-0 run. Looking confident and poised, Steidl knocked down jumper after jumper and breathed life into a sullen Patrick Gym crowd. On a night where Rusin couldn't find it and Rugg was struggling to score, Becker made the tough decision to bench them in favor of Steidl and Hector Harold. Kudos to Becker for being able to make that call and more kudos to Harold and Steidl for seizing that opportunity. Steidl looks like a star in the making and can score in a variety of ways. He is already the best shooter on Vermont and will play a big part in their success down the stretch. This win sets up a great match up on Friday between the two undefeated teams at the top of the America East. Stony Brook and Vermont are both 5-0 in conference and it makes the game on Friday night a very important game so early in the conference schedule. It will be a great test for both teams and should be a exciting game to watch on ESPNU at 9pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment