Vermont 60 Wofford 59
When the team needed him. Trae Bell-Haynes stepped up.
Bell-Haynes hit a floater from the left side with 3.5 seconds left as Vermont dug deep and defeated Wofford in the opener of the Gulf Coast Showcase. This one was back and forth from the get go with neither team leading by more than seven points. The story in this game was the Vermont defense. Wofford is a program that loves the three pointer and they had already made 25 threes through their first two games. With the way Vermont had been defending the three so far this year, things could have gotten out of hand. Instead, the hedging on the perimeter was tremendous and Wofford fished 4-12 from three. Wofford didn't take or make as many threes as they are accustomed to and give full credit to the effort put forth by the Cats. The defense showed flashes of the Becker defensive teams of old. The fact that this Vermont team was able to win a grinding defensive battle is a testament to how much improved they are this year. Over the last few years when the shots don't fall, the team hasn't won. A great team effort led once again by Payton Henson with 14 points and 8 rebounds. After the calf injury scare he played a team high 35 minutes and was very tough on the boards. Bell-Haynes' passing continues to be strong as he led the Cats with 6 assists. His improved court vision is paying early dividends for Vermont. Cam Ward made the most of his limited minutes and hit two big threes, including one as a part of a 4 four point play in the first half. Anthony Lamb struggled with foul trouble and was visibly frustrated for much of the game. He managed to grab 7 rebounds and looked good on the boards. He is very close to another breakout game. Now on to the winner of Hofstra/Bradley at 5pm tomorrow.
P.S. I was able to watch the game because I had a snow day today!! Thank goodness. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment