Vermont 76 Stony Brook 62
Maybe Becker should think about playing loud rap music every practice.
Vermont went on the road and finished the regular season with their biggest win of the season. In control the entire game, the Cats took the air out of the gym early on and spoiled senior night for the Seawolves. The Cats will now head in to the playoffs as the three seed and are on a five game winning streak. During the win streak the defense has finally taken shape and Vermont is truly playing their most complete basketball of the season. The offense has been clicking for most of the season and now that the players have also bought into the defensive side of the ball, Vermont is a dangerous team. They have also started to rebound the ball at a high level, finishing with a 37-31 advantage over Stony Brook. A Stony Brook team that has a +8 rebounding margin on the season. Drew Urquhart was at the center of the strong rebounding, ripping down several big rebounds in the second half and finishing with 6 points and 7 rebounds. His floor time is uneven at times but tonight he really stepped up in the second half. The story of the game was Ernie Duncan. Duncan was unconscious, scoring 23 points on 8/12 shooting (4/4 from three). He scored at the rim, from three, and in the midrange. The whole arsenal was on full display and it continued a string of strong performances down the stretch. He also added 6 rebounds and 3 assists with only 1 turnover. Just a great all around game. The 23 points tied a career high which he set in the game at Albany. Stepping up in big games on the road is a great quality to see in a young player. Trae Bell-Haynes once again came up big with the game on the line. He hit a crucial three pointer when Vermont was searching for a basket to stop a Stony Brook run and then sealed the game with two beautiful finishes around the rim. Both the drives were "and ones" as he scored 6 straight to put the game away. The threat of the three pointer is already causing defenders to respect his pump fake and it is opening up even more driving lanes. This was another game where Vermont got crucial plays from several different players and played with composure. They finish the regular season with a strong 11-5 conference record. This win also gives Vermont the opportunity to get to the 20 win plateau for the eighth consecutive season with a win in the quarterfinal against Maine. Winning consistently at the college level is no easy task and the 20 win streak is a tremendous accomplishment and the mark of a great program. There are no easy match-ups and Vermont will have to come out with a sense of purpose and determination to take care of business on Wednesday. I will tip my cap to both the coaching staff and the players for fighting through adversity and coming out the other side a stronger and more cohesive team. There has been a lot of soul searching this year and right now it has paid off and the team is better off for it. It can be frustrating to see a young team go through growing pains but also satisfying and exciting when they finally put it all together. Time to get ready for playoff basketball!!!
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