Vermont at Hartford 1/31/15

Vermont 65 Hartford 46

Vermont went on the road and bounced back after a tough loss at home to Albany by dominating Hartford in the second half. For much of the first 30 minutes of the game, it looked like the struggles were going to continue. Vermont was playing great defense but was still struggling to make shots on the offensive end. Then all of a sudden the shots started to fall. Kurt Steidl finally found his rhythm and led Vermont with 16 points. It must have felt good for him to see a few shots go down because he has been in quite a slump. Even better for him to do it in front of friends and family. Vermont forced Hartford into tough contested shots for much of the game and Hartford struggled to get their footing after their top player Mark Nwakamma went down with an knee injury early in the game. Vermont is definitely still trying to rediscover their mojo on offense but their defense is locked in. They have allowed 50, 47, and 46 points respectively, in their last three games. That is elite level defense. Besides the great game from Steidl the other two standout players were Cam Ward and Zach McRoberts. Ward carried the offense in the first half and was all over the defensive glass. The smallest player on Vermont's roster finished with 13 rebounds. Pure grit and effort from Ward who provided a calming presence to Vermont and has been a great floor leader all season. McRoberts continues to provide a huge boost off the bench and is becoming a great offensive rebounder. His fingerprints were all over this game as he posted a 11 pt, 6rb, 3ast night. His basketball IQ is tremendous and he is one of those players who sees things before they happen. I will say it again that he will be the difference for Vermont down the stretch. What I hope Vermont can take away from this game is the feeling of relief. When the shots started to fall in the second half you could see the weight being lifted off the Cats shoulders. At the end of the Catamount TV highlights, Dre Wills humorously interviews Ward about his newfound rebounding prowess. It is a nice lighthearted moment and there needs to be more of that for Vermont to be successful. If the Cats can take this feeling with them and take care of business against Maine, I hope they can go into the Stony Brook game loose and play like they did against them at home. They were pumped up and seemed to relish the underdog role in that game. A good win on the road today and the first step in the Cats refocusing and taking the season one game at a time.