Vermont 71 Stony Brook 64
Vermont locked down Stony Brook in the final minutes and won their 10th consecutive game to finish the first half of conference play at 8-0. It was certainly not pretty and Vermont played a particularly bad second half, but I will take the win on the road against the number two team in the conference. After seeing every team once I think Stony Brook may be the most dangerous challenger. They play tough defense and have an amazing ability to put big, momentum swinging runs together. Vermont was good on the defensive side of the ball but gave too many silly fouls that bailed Stony Brook out of poor possessions. The offense was very stagnant but luckily Ernie Duncan was on fire. Duncan led the way for the Cats with 22 points by virtue of 6-8 shooting from behind the three point line. He definitely likes shooting in that building and it was great to see him break out of his shooting slump. Anthony Lamb and Payton Henson made some tough shots in the paint but no one other than Duncan was able to get into an offensive rhythm. Trae Bell-Haynes was able to hit 1,000 points for his career, but it came in what was one of the most ineffective games of his career. He couldn't get anything going, turned the ball over, and went 2-6 from the free throw line. Hopefully getting over the 1,000 point barrier was messing with his head and now that he made it he will find his form. Vermont has to improve their free throw shooting in the second half of conference play. Too many easy points are being left off the board. Revenge tour part three complete and now it is time to embark on the second half of conference play. The second time around is most often a little different and it will be interesting to see what adjustments each team makes. Vermont has put themselves in a great position and now it is time to seal the deal with a strong finish.
I would like to take a moment to step away from UVM basketball and travel down Route 7. I went to the Middlebury College basketball game today to see Matt St. Amour play. He and I are both graduates of Missisquoi Valley Union High School in Swanton, VT (Go Thunderbirds). I have watched him play since he was in about 5th grade and he is easily one of my favorite basketball players to watch of all time. You may remember that he was being recruited by UVM as a walk on before ultimately deciding to go to Middlebury. He clearly made a great decision as Middlebury is ranked in the DIII top 25 and he is rewriting their record books. He is at 1,400 career points and 200 career three pointers and is just a joy to watch on the basketball court. I guarantee you that he will do at least one thing in every game that makes your jaw drop. There are some more records and milestones he has a chance to achieve down the stretch as Middlebury tries for back to back NESCAC championships. If you have time, check their schedule and get to one of their remaining home games or watch online because he and the Middlebury team are worth it.
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