Vermont 77 Maine 52
Vermont dominated a shorthanded Maine team to win their eighth in a row. Maine was without Andrew Fleming and was overmatched for the entire game. Vermont was clicking on all cylinders and again showed how dominant they can be. Everett Duncan finally got some threes to fall, knocking down 3-6 from deep and finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds. His struggles from three this year have made him the missing piece offensively for the Cats. If he can bounce back down the stretch and recapture his elite shooting the Vermont offense becomes even more dangerous. Anthony Lamb led the Cats with 19 points mostly due to another 10-10 performance from the foul line. He is really reasserting himself and now sits five points shy of 1800 for his career. He will be just the sixth Catamount to reach that mark. Ryan Davis impressed once again and is making the transition to big time player status. His footwork and ability to make himself available for a pass underneath have been incredible. He finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Davis pulled down four more offensive boards and he has made himself into one of the most dangerous offensive rebounders in the conference. Stef Smith stayed hot, knocking down 4-7 from three on his way to 14 points. He also chipped in 5 assists for good measure. Smith is shooting an astronomical 14-19 (74%) from three over the last 4 games. Isaiah Powell got extended minutes due to Daniel Giddens injury and started to shake off some of the rust. He played great on the defensive side of the ball and pulled down 7 boards. His all out energy will certainly be needed down the stretch. Speaking of all out energy, Bailey Patella continues to be the unsung hero of the Vermont rotation. He picked up another 3 steals in this one but much of his impact isn't reflected in the box score. He is a disruptive force on the floor and is often the center of big momentum swings. The Cats continue to head in the right direction with their play and are ready for a big showdown with Hartford on Saturday night. The players know they can control their own destiny as long as they take it one game at a time and take care of business.
My thoughts exactly on Patella. He's such a bonus off the bench and his impact seems immediate.Good the see Powell make a shot and hopefully will help his confidence if that ;s all it is. He's a good rebounder and defender. It occurred to me after seeing Okoh a couple times how hard it is to judge potential for a HS player in college. He was a walk on as was Shungu. Hopefully Fiorillo will be another pleasant surprise.
ReplyDeleteScouting & recruiting is certainly an inexact science. I do think Fiorillo has potential.
DeleteVery happy with the win but don't want the team to get too happy. Maine was without Fleming, a huge part of what they do, and they were far from home. Hartford has BCS talent. I'm expecting Hartford to draw their biggest crowd of the year for this one. Nice to see Ev regain his shooting touch. Deloney is gaining confidence every day. No let down.
ReplyDeleteThe Hartford game will be tough. This team seems laser focused right now.
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