Vermont used a strong second half to defeat a hungry Maine team in their conference opener. The game started with a electric run sparked by the return of Shamir Bogues, giving what turned out to be short glimpse into what a fully healthy Cats team can do. Unfortunately, Bogues re-aggravated his injury and did not return. I feel so bad for him. It was clear that he was so excited to get back out there and play and it must be very discouraging that his body keeps betraying him. I hope he can get healthy but you have to start to wonder if he is going to get back to 100%. Sending healing thoughts. The team was very clearly deflated by the Bogues injury and Maine took advantage going on a 16-2 run to end the half and the Black Bears went into the break with a four point lead. Maine was determined to take away Vermont's three point shooting and executed that plan perfectly, holding the Cats to 3-17 shooting from deep. The Cats made a great adjustment and attacked the rim, dominating points in the paint 44-28. The story of the game was the Cats defense. This was a bread and butter Vermont program victory where the team dug deep and swallowed up the Maine offense in the second half. The Cats finished with 9 steals, 5 blocks, and won the rebounding battle 36-33. It was a gritty hard fought game led by Vermont's frontcourt. This Cats team can really challenge shots at the rim and make every shot inside the arc a difficult one. They also took exceptional care of the ball with only 6 turnovers.
This game was all about the big men. Matt Veretto got the Cats off to a good start and Ileri Ayo-Faleye and Nick Fiorillo came up big in the second half. Veretto finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds, knocking down 2 of the Cats 3 threes. He continues to improve his ability to punish mismatches in the post. For the second straight game Ayo-Faleye really took control of the game offensively with hard drives to the rim. He is still refining his offense game but has made a tremendous leap in his ability to get to rim and put himself in position to finish. Ayo-Faleye finished with a career high 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in a tremendous two-way performance. He had the defensive play of the game, chasing down a wide open Maine fast break and single handedly forcing a turnover in a crucial moment. Incredible growth over the course of the season so far. Nick Fiorillo rounded out the double figure scores with 13 points on 5-6 shooting, canning a huge three (the Cats only one of the second half) in a crucial moment to give Vermont some breathing room. You know he was hyped to play his home state team. He also had a crucial block down the stretch and has really solidified the frontcourt rotation. TJ Long scored 9 points in a game where he struggled to get anything going offensively. He also blocked a couple of shots and made some timely defensive plays in the second half. Jace Roquemore was great for the second straight game, taking over for the injured Bogues. Roquemore finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 22 minutes off the bench. He is running the offense with poise and has a nice calm to his game. Adjusting to a new program is tough and never a linear process so it is great to see him starting to find his footing. TJ Hurley and Aaron Deloney struggled with the Maine defensive pressure, shooting a combined 2-12 from the field and finishing with 2 points apiece. Sam Alamutu and Brenton Mills were great on the boards, both grabbing 4 rebounds in limited minutes. The Vermont depth was huge in this one, helping to rebound from the loss of Bogues.
Every game in conference play is tough and every team has plans and backup plans to take away a team's strengths and take advantage of their weakness. Now the Cats get UMBC at home on Thursday in what should be the polar opposite of today's matchup. Vermont and Maine are slow tempo teams (340th and 290th out of 362 total DI teams) who want to grind out games with their defense. UMBC on the other hand is second in the country in fatest tempo and just about dead last (360th out of 362) in defensive efficiency. It will be quite a contrast of styles at Patrick on Thursday night.
