Lamb takes down St. John's

Vermont 70 St. John's 68

Anthony Lamb from the elbow!!

Vermont finally got the big non-conference win they have been searching for thanks to a HUGE second half from Anthony Lamb. He was the best player on the floor and it wasn't even close. Scoring from everywhere, fighting through contact, ripping down big rebounds. The St. John's coach challenged his team to stop Lamb and they couldn't even slow him down. 23 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists. Who else was going to take the shot? Once he got to the elbow, you just knew it was going in. He had some incredible finishes around the rim and his awareness under the hoop is on another level. What an incredible performance by an incredible player. Everett Duncan and Stef Smith also stepped up big time. Everett attacked the rim late in the second half and had some nifty finishes around the rim. In a team high 37 minutes he chipped in 17 points and zero turnovers. He has made himself a threat from more than just the three point line. Smith also scored 17 points and finally looked comfortable in the offense. A big time performance from the veterans. Daniel Giddens played a season high 23 minutes, and it wasn't always pretty, but he pulled down 9 rebounds and looked more comfortable in the defensive rotations. Ryan Davis continued his strong start and has been the most consistent perimeter shooter so far this season. Bailey Patella made some big hustle plays during his 8 minutes and hit a big three. He has been a very effective spark off the bench. His athleticism is really showing through. The Vermont defense is playing at such a high level right now. St. John's stayed in the game from the free throw line as the Cats defense was making everything difficult from the field. This is the win that this group wanted. They knew they could compete and they went out and took control of the game in the second half. What continues to be impressive in these big games is that the Cats are competing with the major schools without gimmicks or playing out of their minds. They are competing and have now won the big game without needing to play a perfect game. That says so much about the Vermont program and the character of the players. When they step on the court, they expect to win. Now they are playing with house money. The pressure of winning a big road game against a major conference team is off and they can go out and grind with Virginia. That game will be a fascinating battle between two of the best defensive teams in the country.