Vermont's defense locked in late in the second half and the Cats got a big win on the road. Winning on the road is always a challenge but winning on the road down two starters is really tough. That was a great, hard fought win, putting the Cats "next man up" mantra on full display. In the first half both teams were shooting the lights out. Vermont was uncharacteristically loose with ball leading to too many turnovers and easy buckets for the Huskies. The three point shot kept them in the game and they battled back from a double digit deficit to only be down three at the half. The Cats snuck into the lead for a moment early on in the second half, only to go through a cold spell offensively with a few more turnovers. With about 10 minutes to go in the game, Vermont once again found themselves down by 9 points. The defense showed up big and the Cats went on a 16-4 run to take the lead for good. It was a great display of mental toughness without Matt Veretto and Shamir Bogues. Getting down early without two starters, it would have been easy to lose focus. Guys stepped up and showed great poise in winning a game where they were not at their best. The 18 assists are especially telling as it was a real team effort to pull out the win. The game was also a good demonstration of how dangerous Vermont's perimeter weapons can be with the Cats finishing a scorching 15-29 (52%) from three.
TJ Long once again was the hero. Long scored 13 of his game high 23 points during that crucial final 10 minutes, including back to back threes to put the Cats in the lead. What more can you say about his start to the season? He has been everything the Cats have needed and more. It is also worth noting that this hot streak comes directly after a very tough game at Bradley where he did not make a shot. In the three games since he is averaging 20 points on 14/24 (58%) shooting from three. That demonstrates some real mental toughness. Nick Fiorillo stepped right into the starting lineup and did his best Matt Veretto impression, scoring 14 points on 3/6 shooting from three while dishing out 5 assists. He did a great job running the offense from the top and his early threes really got the Cats going. Aaron Deloney played tough defense and finished with 15 points, 8 assists (career high), 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. He stepped up big time in place of Shamir Bogues and had his best game of the season. TJ Hurley finished with 9 points, hitting timely shots, including a big four point play in the first half. Ileri Ayo-Faleye hit a big three early in the second half and calmly knocked down big free throws to keep the Cats in front late.
Now on to another big home game against Colgate. The atmosphere should be great and sending good vibes to Bogues and Veretto in hopes they make a speedy recovery.
