Vermont at UMass Lowell 2/15/17

Vermont 87 UMass Lowell 66

Vermont fought off a team wide illness, stormy weather, and a pesky opponent to win their 16th consecutive game and move to 14-0 in conference. This was a huge win for Vermont as it will be possibly their last road game and they also finish a tough stretch where they played five games in eleven days. Now the Cats have a nice break before the game with Albany next Wednesday and will try to get healthy. The fact that Vermont was able to win these last two road games without their full team speaks to their depth and focus. This team is also continuing to improve and playing better basketball as they move closer to the postseason. Much of that improvement has to do with the maturation of Anthony Lamb. He is becoming a complete player and blossoming into a leader on this team. Lamb finished with 24 points including 4-5 from three point land. He started off the year hot from the perimeter but then lost confidence and stopped shooting for much of the middle part of the season. He has the ability to step out and hit that shot and it is making him even more difficult to guard. He has worked very hard to push through the ups and downs of being a college freshman and is ahead of schedule for sure. Trae Bell-Haynes, Payton Henson, and Kurt Steidl all had strong games as well scoring 18, 11, and 11 respectively. Dre Wills got the start with Ernie Duncan battling illness and put up a nice 9 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. He is looking to finish his Catamount career strong. The poise of this team is tremendous and they come out and take each game one at a time and don't seem to be getting caught up in the attention that their run is bringing to the team. There are many milestones that they are chasing including the most wins in a single season. The Vermont program has won 25 games several times and with their current record of 24-5. the Cats have a chance to tie that record against Albany. It is great to have two home games to finish out the season but those games are against two of the toughest opponents in the America East. I expect both those games to be tough battles and I expect Vermont will be ready.