Oakland 63 Vermont 61
Jalen Moore hit a three pointer with 10 seconds left to lift the Grizzlies over Vermont. The game began with the announcement that Aaron Deloney, Eric Beckett, Evan Guillory, and Isaiah Powell would each be serving a one game suspension for being late to a team function. That certainly set the tone for what would be a tough grind for the Cats. The game today was a perfect illustration of how the perimeter shooting affects Vermont's play. When Vermont was making threes they were able to make runs and each defensive stop during those runs was full of energy. When the shots aren't falling the defense gets tight as each possession takes on more and more value. Right now the offensive rhythm is completely dependent on the three. Vermont will continue to find themselves in tight games because they will struggle to pull away from teams. That keeps the games close and puts a lot of pressure on late game execution. The more close games played the more it becomes a law of averages situation. They executed well to beat Yale and made some key mistakes in this one. This one stings because they worked so hard to climb back in and made some great plays to take the lead, only to miss crucial free throws and land out of bounds on a crucial rebound. You do have to tip your cap to Jamal Cain and Jalen Moore. Cain was a beast on both sides of the ball and Moore made clutch plays.
Vermont really needed Powell. His defense, rebounding, and playmaking in the midrange were sorely missed. Justin Mazzulla and Finn Sullivan played tough in his absence but were ultimately forced to play even further out of position without Powell. Sullivan is quite a rollercoaster ride as a player. He makes big plays and plays hard but it sometimes gets the best of him as his emotions boil over and he plays too fast. He finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while knocking down 4 threes. His steal that set up Ben Shungu's game tying three point play was incredible. Unfortunately he also had a bad turnover and landed out of bounds securing the rebound that would have given the Cats the ball up one with 20 seconds left. If he can harness that fire he will play a huge role on this team. Speaking of Shungu he struggled mightily for most of the game and hasn't looked the same since his career high in the Maryland game. He did however bring the Cats all the way back single handedly before he missed two shots at the end of the game. Even with the difficult start he finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and zero turnovers. Teams are really keying on him and preventing him from getting to the rim. He is going to have to adjust to all the newfound defensive pressure. Ryan Davis led the way with 24 points and continues to be the Cats most consistent offensive player. Kam Gibson really faceplanted in this one. After knocking down his first three of the game, he missed shot after shot and had a couple poorly timed turnovers. He is often playing too fast and is still feeling out his role. I still think he can provide a valuable offensive boost but wonder if he might be better suited as a sixth man coming in and providing scoring in short bursts.
The Cats certainly had chances to win and the run to get back into the game was impressive. Not the result they wanted but no time to sit and stew. They are right back at it tomorrow at 11:00 against Evansville, where they will continue to search for more consistent offensive execution.
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