Vermont at St. Louis 12/21/14

St. Louis 58 Vermont 55

The road continues to be unkind to Vermont as they fall to 1-4 away from Patrick gym. The game was back and forth and for most of the game the lead was never above three for either team. The deciding factor in the second half came down to three point shooting. After making their first two threes in the first half, Vermont went cold and missed their next 11 shots from distance. Shooting that poorly is going to be the difference in a game with such slim margins. At the same time that Vermont went cold, St. Louis found their range and hit several timely threes in the second half. Each time Vermont looked poised to take control or go on a run, St. Louis was able to hit a three and swing the momentum. St. Louis also dominated the offensive glass. This is nothing new for this year's Vermont team and while they prevented St. Louis from converting on their second opportunities, it limited the amount of scoring chances the Cats had throughout the game. This was probably the most winnable game on the current road trip and Vermont could be looking at a prolonged losing streak. Young teams tend to have a tougher time winning on the road in a hostile environment. That seems to be holding true for Vermont thus far. To their credit they did mount a furious rally and never quit on the game. Most of that was due to Trae Bell-Haynes and his blinding speed. He continues to reinforce the nickname I have given him (one.man.run) because he can score in bunches with very little time going off the clock. Ethan O'Day had a very good scoring game and was able to stay out of foul trouble, He will have to have games like this one during conference play in order for Vermont to compete at the level they are accustomed. Zach McRoberts continues to impress on the defensive end and is showing great toughness as a rebounder. I think he has fallen in love a bit too much with the three and his offense remains a work in progress but I love the energy he brings to this team. Down the stretch of this non-conference schedule getting healthy will remain the top priority, Vermont has stayed poised and continues to put themselves in a position to win. They are playing very shorthanded right now and health will be the biggest indicator of their success during the conference schedule. Stony Brook, Albany, and Hartford have all righted the ship after some struggles a few weeks ago. The league is fairly wide open and every single game is going to matter and be a dogfight. The teams that avoid the bad loss and play well on the road are the teams that will finish near the top. Vermont is ready to compete for the title if they can continue to grow as a team and find a way to get healthy.