Kam Jones exploded in the second half with 18 straight points, blowing the game wide open and lifting Marquette to a victory over Vermont. The Cats battled hard and hung around for the first 30 minutes of the game before the Jones offensive explosion. The turning point was getting a flagrant foul call and only make one of the free throws and then not getting a bucket on the ensuing possession. The very next possession Jones began his run. In the first half Vermont did a great job making shots and forced Marquette in to tough shots down the stretch. Then a phantom foul call at the end of the half gave the momentum back to the Golden Eagles. Then the Cats came out in the second half and showed some great grit, cutting into the lead and really digging in on defense. Unfortunately the perimeter shooting dried up and Vermont couldn't respond to the Marquette run. The game played out very much like I felt like it would. Vermont didn't get dominated in any single category. They were pretty much even on the boards, had 15 assists and only 10 turnovers, and Marquette didn't have a huge advantage at the line. Some of the misses were certainly due to Marquette's defensive pressure but they missed a lot of good looks in the second half. I said in my preview that they could play Marquette even in most facets and that the game would come down to making shots. In the second half Marquette (specifically Jones) was hot and Vermont was not.
Matt Veretto was hot in the first half and was one of a trio of Cats with 11 points. Dylan Penn chipped in 11 as well as Marquette did a great job forcing him away from the basket. Robin Duncan stuffed the stat sheet one last time with 11 points (5-5 shooting), 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in the last Vermont game featuring a Duncan. Aaron Deloney chipped in 9 points off the bench. Kam Gibson had 8 points playing in front of friends and family. Ileri Ayo-Faleye continued his strong play off the bench at the end of the season finishing with 5 points and 6 rebounds. Finn Sullivan struggled shooting the ball but finished with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
The team this year was special. There is something amazing about a group that bonds through adversity and comes together to climb the mountain. The two year run that the returners went on is nothing short of amazing. If you include the conference tourney games, this group went 37-3 against the America East over the past two seasons. That is absolutely absurd. I am really going to miss watching Robin, Dylan, Kam, and Finn. Tough as nails and hard working. I will reflect a little more when the emotions wear off and write a season wrap up in the coming weeks. The offseason is always wild now with the portal and recruiting being concentrated in the spring so I am sure I will be posting fast and furious over the next month or so. Until then thanks to everyone who reads, comments, and stops to talk to me at games. I love the community that this blog has created and thank everyone for making a simple hobby of mine into something special.