Vermont vs Maine 1/16/21

 Vermont 65 Maine 30

Vermont used a smothering defense to dominate Maine en route to their 4th straight victory. Following up a 40 point win with a 35 point win is an impressive feat regardless of the level of competition. Maine couldn't get anything going and only made one three pointer for the game. The beast has been awoken for the Cats on the defensive side of the ball. The energy is there and guys are flying all over the court and winning just about every 50/50 ball. What has also been impressive is that the Cats have stayed engaged for two straight games despite the fact that they have had the games well in hand from the start of the second half. It is really hard to maintain focus and continue to execute when the game is so far out of reach. Ryan Davis once again led the way with 15 points and is coming up big when Vermont needs a bucket. Stef Smith chipped in with 14 before leaving with a shoulder injury. It is the same shoulder that has been taped up all season so I hope that it is nothing serious but he looked to be in a fair amount of pain and immediately iced it on the bench. It was another balanced effort on offense as Maine did a decent job taking the Cats out of their halfcourt sets and Vermont's offense was choppy for most of the game. The real all stars in such a choppy game were Bailey Patella and Robin Duncan. Bailey Patella finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals. Two of the steals resulted in patented Patella fast break dunks. He is lightning in a bottle and totally changes game momentum with his energy. Robin played a team high 26 minutes and finished with the unusual 1 point, 9 assist, 9 rebound stat line. He was EVERYWHERE in this game. Altering shots at the rim, tipping passes, grabbing rebounds, and setting up his teammates perfectly to score. He brings such a strong basketball IQ off the bench and gives Vermont a versatile piece to play with different lineups. Now Vermont needs to remain focused and take care of business tomorrow with a bigtime showdown on the horizon. Hartford has been very good this season and are going to be really hyped for the chance to take down Vermont after last years title game cancellation. It is going to be tough not to look ahead to such an important series. Vermont wants to take care of business this weekend and ride that wave into the big series against the Hawks.