Vermont 99 Maine 82
Vermont shot a scorching 66% from the field and defeated Maine in the America East quarterfinals. This was going to be the last home game of the year but by virtue of Hartford's upset of Albany, Vermont will host UNH on Monday night. It is great to get another home game and should be a rocking atmosphere. As with most games during the Cats winning streak, Vermont's offense was firing on all cylinders. Cam Ward shot the absolute lights out in the first half including a Steph Curry-esque three at the halftime buzzer from just about half court. Ward finished with 24 points on 6-9 shooting from three. He is playing with a ton of confidence right now. He actually threw up in the garbage can the first time he came out of the game in the first half so his performance is even more impressive considering he may not have been 100%. Over the last four games he is shooting an astounding 15-21 (71%) from three. Fun to watch. The MVP of the game ultimately was Ethan O'Day. He put up one of the best stat lines of his career. O'Day finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 3 steals. That is the performance of a senior who wants to leave it all on the floor and doesn't want his career to come to an end. Obviously when a team scores 99 points there are going to be many impressive stat lines. Kurt Steidl put together a tough 14 point 9 rebound performance and Ernie Duncan also looked good scoring 11 points and handing out 5 assists. Vermont can beat teams in so many different ways on the offensive end that it is difficult for an opposing team to string together stops. The formula during this win streak has been get off to a strong start and keep the other team at bay for the rest of the game. The biggest difference has been the improvement on the boards. It is going to be crucial to maintain that momentum against UNH on Monday. Whoever wins the rebounding battle will win the game and Vermont will have to get ready for a very physical game. In the game today the defense took a little bit of a step back. Some of that is due to playing with a big lead and losing focus. They will need to be much tighter on Monday night. The other adjustment that Vermont is going to have to make is they suddenly with be playing with some expectation and pressure again. It was going to be one thing to go on the road and try to pull an upset in the semifinal. Playing a home game where you are expected to win is a whole different ball of wax. The win at Stony Brook in the finale looms large now as they would be traveling on the road if they had not won that game. The win tonight also gives Vermont 8 straight 20 win seasons. Congratulations to all involved in the Vermont program on a wonderful accomplishment. Time for some bonus basketball at Patrick on Monday.
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