Vermont 71 Richmond 65
Good teams win even when they are not at their best.
Vermont shook off an uncharacteristically sloppy game and executed down the stretch for a nice win against Richmond. It is their first win over an A10 opponent since 2008 and their first road win over an A10 opponent since 1976. Another example of the current trajectory of this team and the Vermont program. The early injury to Trae Bell-Haynes seemed to take the life out of the Cats. Bell-Haynes ended up playing the rest of the game with a sleeve on his knee but looked hobbled and a step slow. He gutted it out because he is a fierce competitor and I hope that he is okay. These next two games are very tough and his health with have a significant impact on the Cats game plan. Bell-Haynes and Payton Henson struggled in this one but kept fighting and never got down on themselves. Bell-Haynes fought through the injury and committing 6 turnovers to knock down two crucial free throws. Henson struggled to score but pulled down a team high 8 rebounds. Ernie Duncan was the star of this game. He knocked down big shots all night en route to 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. He was 5/8 from three and hit a layup to beat the shot clock buzzer down the stretch to squash the Spiders comeback bid. His willingness to go to the rim and shoot off the dribble more this season is making him a more dangerous scorer. No longer can teams just treat him as a shooter and close him out hard at the three point line. Anthony Lamb also had a strong game finishing with 14 points and 6 rebounds. He has clearly been working on how to make quick decisions when a double team is coming as that area has improved since his early season struggles. Both Cam Ward and Everett Duncan hit big threes in the second half. It was nice to see Ward get one to go down. Overall it was a very inconsistent game for the Cats. Several times it looked like they were poised to take control of the game, only to let Richmond crawl back in. Some poor shot selection and bad live ball turnovers really disrupted the flow of Vermont's offense. They are going to need a much tighter more complete effort on Saturday night against Bucknell. That will be a marquee mid-major matchup between two of the top mid-major programs in the country. Catamount fans should take a moment and reflect on what Vermont has accomplished thus far this season. To be 6-1 with the schedule they have played is impressive. They have played one of the most difficult schedules in the country up until this point and keep finding ways to win. An incredible start to the season and a great opportunity against another top notch opponent on Saturday night.
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