Vermont 82 Eastern Michigan 74
Vermont bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Northeastern with a big win over Eastern Michigan. There are several reasons why this win is big for the Cats. First and Foremost, Eastern Michigan is a very good team. They were picked as the west division winner for the MAC. They returned all of their leading scorers and Ray Lee is the active leading scorer in the conference. James Thompson IV had 19 double doubles last year as a freshman. This season the Eagles also force turnovers at a high rate getting the fourth most steals in the nation. Last season Eastern Michigan forced Vermont into 21 turnovers en route to a 20 point victory. Secondly, Vermont was without their leading scorer and leading rebounder Payton Henson. Henson has been crucial to the Cats success this year and there is some question about how long his injury is going to keep him out. His absence thrust Drew Urquhart in a starting role and he responded in a big way. Urquhart set a new career high with 14 points, adding 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Urquhart played with confidence and strength. He got a crucial offensive rebound and put back as Vermont was trying to put the game away. He is steadily improving and is going to be counted on with Henson sidelined. Anthony Lamb also stepped up big and set a new career high with 26 point before fouling out late. Lamb added 8 rebounds (7 offensive) and 2 blocks. Lamb scored creatively around the rim and finally got some perimeter shots to fall. Lamb sealed the win with three consecutive elbow jumpers late in the game. What a performance for a kid who is only 12 games into his career. He was battling Thompson IV from Eastern Michigan for much of the game who is one of the top rebounders in the country. I have to tip my cap to Thompson IV as he ripped down 21 rebounds including 11 offensive boards. Impressive performance for him. The unsung hero of the night was Nate Rohrer. What a gritty player. After missing the first 11 games, Rohrer was forced to play 22 minutes in his debut due to Henson's absence. He played tough and got two steals in the last minute as Eastern Michigan was trying to extend the game. He has a tremendously positive effect on the court and is such a solid player. I hope he can stay healthy because he will be a valuable player off the bench for the Cats. It was also nice to see Ernie Duncan get Vermont off to a hot start with three early deep three pointers. Duncan finished with 4 threes and 16 points. He was held scoreless against Northeastern and his shooting is a real sparkplug for the Cats. Vermont limited the Eagles leading scorer Ray Lee (19ppg) to 4 points. As a team Vermont only turned the ball over 7 times which tied a season low, Limiting the turnovers against a team that thrives on creating disruption is especially encouraging. That was the Best 40 minutes Vermont played all season. It is great to get a big win before heading off the play their toughest opponent of the season. Vermont heads to Butler on Wednesday for what will be a tough matchup to say the least.
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