Vermont 61 Albany 50
Well that was a strange game.
Vermont overcame a medical emergency in the stands (the person is okay), several stoppages of play, a sloppy second half, and their rival Albany to win their 10th in a row. The game was uneven and physical as every Vermont/Albany matchup seems to be. It is interesting that the Cats offense is effective against almost any other team they play but is awful against Albany. Trae Bell-Haynes continued his tear with another strong performance. Bell-Haynes finished with 21 points and played strong defense against David Nichols. The poor foul shooting has been tough to take but he sure does keep coming up big otherwise. Everett Duncan finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double double. Seven of his rebounds were at the offensive end and he played a team high 39 minutes. It was probably the strangest double double I have ever seen as he was absolutely dominant in the first half grabbing 10 of his 11 rebounds. He then all but disappeared in the second half. I have been pumping up Duncan's rebounding all season on this blog and tonight he validated my excitement. Ernie Duncan made the shot of the night, hitting a desperation three at the shot clock buzzer to give the Cats some life in the second half. He had a quite night otherwise but that was mostly due to the energy he was expending playing great defense on Joe Cremo. In a surprising turn of events Duncan has asserted himself as Vermont's defensive stopper. He is consistently drawing tough defensive assignments and has made himself into a very strong defender. Ra Kpedi ignited the Cats in his first half minutes with his hustle and strength on the boards. The inexperience showed after that but he could really provide a spark down the stretch as he continues to get up to speed. The defense was very strong for the Cats as they held Albany to only one made three. The way that the Cats have grown over the course of this winning streak without Anthony Lamb is fun to watch. It is a reminder about the strength of the program and a testament to the players and coaches. To be able to look forward and be ready to overcome any obstacle is a rare attitude to find in a group of players. Now the Cats have a week to prepare for their difficult three game road trip. Beginning next Wednesday Vermont plays at Binghamton, at UMBC, and at Albany. That is going to be a tough road and it is strange for the Albany games to be so close together. Time to rest up and get ready for the road.
P.S. Tonight is my 200th post. I never thought when I started to write this blog that it would grow into what it is today. Thanks for reading!
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