Vermont 66 UNH 50
Welcome back Vermont basketball.
The Cats finally put it all together for a full 40 minutes and got a huge win on the road. Getting back to playing the tough defense that Coach Becker loves, Vermont dominated the game from start to finish, holding UNH to 23% shooting from the field. The Cats played tough and didn't allow UNH to get any open looks from the perimeter. Tonight was the 100th career win for Becker and I am sure it makes him proud to see the game won in the fashion he is known for. Preseason this was one of the games I had penciled in as a loss. UNH is one of the tougher road games in the America East and the Cats have now won both of the road games that typically trip them up. Now it is time to figure things out on their home floor. Right in the center of the win were the two veteran leaders, Ethan O'Day and Kurt Steidl. O'Day was a BEAST in the game scoring 19 points on 8-12 shooting. He also blocked 3 shots while anchoring the tough defense underneath. Steidl continued his strong play scoring 13 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Vermont received contributions from across the board and when they needed a big play they got it. Each time UNH tried to mount a run, Vermont maintained their composure and executed. In the game tonight the Cats finally looked like the Vermont teams that have had so much success. It is no accident that this strong performance coincided with Vermont finally having their full team. With everyone back into the fold the different lineups are more cohesive and the minutes can be more evenly distributed. The Cats are righting the ship at a crucial time as I detailed in my last post. They have some tough games ahead, none bigger than Saturday's battle with Stony Brook. It is going to be an uphill battle for sure as Stony Brook has looked every bit the heavy favorite they were expected to be. Vermont can go into the game confident and playing their best basketball of the season.
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