Vermont went on the road and made a big statement, ending the River Hawks 7 game win streak. Beating Lowell in their home gym is something only the Cats have done over the last few years. A monster win that announces to the league that despite the inconsistent performance thus far, the Cats are still the team to beat. As the Cats have all season they were faced with a shortened bench (Jace Roquemore, Shy Odom, TJ Long all in street clothes) and then battled foul trouble throughout. The trademark Catamount defense showed up in a big way, holding the River Hawks 21 points (!) below their season average. The most surprising turn of events was the Cats complete dominance on the boards. Vermont grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and finished with a 44-30 advantage on the boards. The Cats were all over the 50/50 balls and played with an incredible sense of urgency. It felt like they relished being the underdogs for once and played with a chip on their shoulder. The three point shooting was a struggle but each one that the Cats made was at a crucial juncture. Throughout the game, the Cats used their physicality and toughness on both ends of the floor. Gutsy performance.
TJ Hurley led the Cats with 23 points and made two huge threes down the stretch. He was tough as nails, using his physicality to create space driving to the rim. The big shots down the stretch felt like Hurley fully realizing his role as the Cats offensive leader. Ileri Ayo-Faleye was everywhere finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds while helping to shut down the River Hawks in the post. He had some wild misses from three but his offensive aggressiveness is something that is crucial for Vermont. Nick Fiorillo struggled shooting but finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds. He played tough, physical defense down low and really walled off the paint. With the injury to Roquemore, Sam Alamutu has been thrust into the secondary point guard role and due to foul trouble, he was the primary point guard in this evenings game. He played a strong game, finishing with 8 points and 6 rebounds. He had two crucial buckets in the second half and his ability to guard multiple positions was crucial in slowing down the high flying Lowell offense. Shamir Bogues was hampered by foul trouble but finished with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Due to the foul trouble and the short bench, Noah Barnett, Sean Blake, and Seth Joba were forced into bigger roles and each contributed in their minutes. Barnett finished with 2 points and 5 rebounds, Blake made good decisions with the ball, and Joba hit a nice three.
The signature Vermont defense is firing on all cylinders over the last few games. What a huge momentum boost for the Cats as they head into another tough road test against Bryant on Saturday. Conference play is the best.
