Vermont 73 Colgate 72
It's happening.
Vermont used a 10-0 run late in the first half to take control of the game and responded to every Colgate run in the second half en route to their fourth consecutive victory. This was a huge win for the Cats. Colgate is one of the other preseason conference number one picks on their schedule and gutting out a road win against another top mid major is big. Chemistry is building, roles are becoming defined, and tweaks by the coaching staff are paying off. The offense has shifted to more quick ball movement and more driving and cutting. That shift has allowed Vermont to get open shots from the perimeter and they are knocking them down. The perimeter defense has caught fire (ice?) since NVU-Lyndon made it rain from distance. Over the last three games opponents are shooting 11/55 (20%) from three. Talk about a point of emphasis. This team is showing some grit and mental toughness, playing with a chip on their shoulder, and putting those early season struggles behind them. Even though the interior defense is still a work in progress, they are back to keeping teams off the offensive glass and rebounding well in the trenches. The most exciting sign from todays team win? 18 assists and only 8 turnovers.
Robin Duncan put the team on his back this afternoon. One of the changes during the winning streak is putting the ball in Duncan's hand more to highlight his ability to get to the rim or pass out of the paint. He has thrived in that role and it all came together in this one. Duncan led Vermont with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in a team high 34 minutes. He is not getting enough credit for basically doubling his career per game rebounding average (3.5 to 6.6) and becoming an impact player on offense. His leadership, poise, and grit is defining this team. The other hero in this afternoon's game was Matt Veretto. He made timely threes down the stretch in the second half and came up with a huge offensive rebound and score with 27 seconds left. Veretto finished with 14 points (4-9 from three) and 6 rebounds. His ability to stretch the floor opens the paint up for drives by the Vermont guards. Aaron Deloney continued to be the spark off the bench with 13 points. TJ Hurley also provided 12 points off the bench on a perfect 5-5 shooting night. He scored at all three levels in this game and has scored in double figures in 4 straight games. Finn Sullivan also had a nice game with 8 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Vermont needed to turn the page going into December and have taken care of business. Now they have their first break of the year for finals week before the game that I personally have had circled all season, Toledo at home on December 20th. That should be another great battle between two strong mid-majors and those are the type of games you want at Patrick.
