Vermont 81 UMBC 72
Strange things happen on Friday the 13th.
Vermont over came an 11 and a half minute scoring drought in the second half to win their sixth straight. Think about that. Vermont was able to score 81 points without making a shot from the field over the course of almost 12 minutes. That is one of the most odd things I have ever encountered in a basketball game. This game was almost exactly like the game last season against UMBC at Patrick. Last year the Cats held a six point halftime lead and won 79-72. This year Vermont held an eight point lead at the half and won 81-72....eerie. Jairus Lyles scored 32 points last year and scored 23 points this year....I digress. This was a good win for Vermont. UMBC is a good team who is going to be competitive in the league this season and Jairus Lyles is a very impressive player. The Retrievers were without their starting center and as a result they only played seven players. Their most effective stretches of the game were when they went with a small four guard lineup. That was the lineup that really disrupted Vermont's offense because they were able to ramp up the ball pressure. Vermont was able to weather the storm and step up when the game mattered most. These are the type of wins that help a team prepare for games in the playoffs. Vermont was able to limit UMBC's shots from three and forced them into 14 turnovers. Trae Bell-Haynes fought through foul trouble and saved the Cats by relentlessly driving to the hoop, knocking down free throws, and finally making a basket. His leadership and poise really showed in this victory. Other than Bell-Haynes it was another wonderfully balanced effort. Kurt Steidl hit the 200th three pointer of his career and finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds. His shot is finally back to form and he is playing with a ton of confidence. Drew Urquhart scored 12 points and got Vermont going early before missing 4 straight free throws during a crucial point in the second half. Payton Henson finished with 9 points but struggled to finish cleanly around the rim. Darren Payen and Josh Hearlihy added 8 points each. Payen scored almost all of his points in about a 2 minute stretch in the second half. It is incredible how quickly he puts points on the board as he only play 9 minutes tonight. Hearlihy is looking more and more confident and his shot is starting to round into form. Dre Wills played 29 minutes in this game finishing with a very Dre stat line of 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. This team looks focused and confident, taking the season one game at a time. The biggest question facing Vermont right now is how to get Anthony Lamb back on track. Lamb only played 7 minutes in tonight's game and this is after only playing 11 minutes on Wednesday. He is deep in Becker's doghouse and I wonder if he will be coming off the bench soon. He genuinely looks lost and confused on the court. After he makes a mistake on the court he is getting an earful from his teammates and looks as if he doesn't know what to do to fix his mistakes. The talent is there and he has shown flashes of the player he can be. He is cheering on his teammates from the bench and is talking to the coaches about what he is doing wrong so it seems like he is genuinely trying to work his way back. He definitely has soul searching to do as he tries to break through this freshman wall he seems to have hit. Now on to the main event Monday at New Hampshire. That is the game that will be the real test as I still see New Hampshire as the most significant threat to Vermont in the league. It is always a difficult road game and the Wildcats want to prove that they are the top challenger in the America East. A 1 o'clock MLK Jr. day matinee is an odd game time, but I will be watching.
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