Game Recap: 13 Vermont vs 4 Purdue

Purdue 80 Vermont 70

I want a redo where Kurt Steidl doesn't get hurt.

Vermont fought through losing Steidl to a knee injury and pushed Pudue until the end before falling in the first round of the NCAA tourney. It was no accident that Vince Edwards went off for Purdue in the second half after Vermont lost one of their most important defenders. Steidl does so many things for Vermont and is the steady hand that guides the Cats. He has been such a great player over his years at Vermont and a wonderful representative of the university. It was hard to see his career end on such a devastating note. He is one of my favorite Catamounts. Vermont charged on without him and forced Purdue to pull out all of the stops to grab the victory. It was an exciting back and forth game and Vermont really showed how strong of a team they are. How good was Anthony Lamb? Gosh darn that kid can play basketball. Every game he gets better and better. He plays the game so hard and never seems intimidated by the situation. Lamb finished with 20 points on 8-12 shooting and added 9 rebounds and 3 steals.  His full arsenal was on display in this one and the consolation prize is being able to watch he and the other returning Cats next year. Trae Bell-Haynes was also great and controlled the game very nicely. Bell-Haynes finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. He only committed one turnover and ran the offense with incredible poise. Payton Henson and Ernie Duncan scored 13 and 11 points respectively in another balanced effort for the Cats. A tremendous and special season for Vermont and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to witness it. I will post a season wrap up sometime in the next week. What a team, what a season.