Vermont 74 UNH 50
Another all out team effort by Vermont as they notched their 10th straight victory. Once again the Cats absorbed the initial frenzy of energy from the opposing team and wore down the Wildcats in the second half. Ryan Davis led the way with 16 points. He continues to finish with incredible touch and is fast becoming Vermont's most crucial offensive player. He is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenders and creates so much space on the court for his teammates to work with. He has also worked hard on improving his defense and he is starting to show major progress in that area as well. Bailey Patella found himself in the middle of another huge momentum swing with back to back dunks that electrified the crowd. He is a menace in passing lanes and is always fingertips away from about 5 steals a game. My favorite sequence of the night was a long defensive possession for the Cats full of loose balls and players diving to the floor. Then when Vermont finally secured the ball they pushed it ahead to Aaron Deloney who splashed in a three from the wing. That is a championship sequence from the Cats. Just laying it all on the line. Deloney is finding his footing out on the court and his perimeter shots are starting to fall. He is another all out hustle guy off the bench. Ben Shungu continued his strong physical play, chipping in with 12 points and 6 rebounds. He has really been finishing through contact over the last few games. Anthony Lamb struggled through some ineffectiveness, turned the ball over six times, and was visibly frustrated several times during the game. Something hasn’t looked quite right over the last two games but Lamb is persevering like he always does. He used every ounce of his will to finish with 12 points, 3 blocks, and a game high 13 rebounds. He has really been setting the tone around the rim on defense. Vermont is top 10 in the country at defending the two point shot and Lamb is a huge part of that. Another programmatic milestone for Vermont as they win 20 games for the 12th year in a row. That kind of continuity of success at a school like Vermont is honestly unprecedented. The work that the players, coaching staff, athletic department, and the University at largehave put in has really put Vermont in an unique and special position. Saturday should be another great one at Patrick.
I was surprised to see Demuth when he came in. It was a pleasant surprise. I think people have maybe written him off too early as he was a very good HS player which I know is not always a guarantee. With he and Giddens back it is much more of a cushion up front. I noticed Powell starting to take 3's again . I hope he doesn't go down that road again unless he's making a lot of them in practice. His shot does look a little better but would be surprised if he was ever a 3pt threat.Deloney starting to show his credentials.Lamb struggled some but still a force. Big debate on whether he is the same player as in the past.He's had more defensive pressure for sure
ReplyDeleteLamb had that long sleeve from waist to foot on the hamstring leg. Wonder if that
ReplyDeletehammy is flaring up again?