Ouch.
Vermont threw the first punch with a 10-0 run to start the game. UMBC counter-punched with a big run of their own and the Cats couldn't get up off the mat. When the final bell sounded, Vermont suffered their worst home loss during the Becker era. The Retrievers are the best shooting team in the America East by a wide margin and they showed why in the game today. They, like many teams this year, are coming in hyped and ready to exercise the demons from Vermont's stretch of dominating the conference. Near perfect execution by UMBC this afternoon. Meanwhile, Vermont's body language had quite a bit of "here we go again" as the game was slipping away. Injuries continue to sap any momentum from the Cats season. For a team that has struggled to score and make shots consistently, to lose their most consistent shooter and scorer in TJ Hurley is one too many body blows to take. The Retrievers were able to sit back in a zone defense, unafraid of the perimeter threats. As a result, all of the shots at the rim were contested and the Cats are struggling to make contested twos this season. This is the pivot point for the Vermont season. This experience can either galvanize the Cats to make a final push or bury them under the weight of expectations.
Ileri Ayo-Faleye led the Cats with 14 points but was inefficient offensively, shooting 4-15 from the field and 1-7 from three. Another blog jinx after praising his three point shooting on Thursday. Sam Alamutu had a nice stretch attacking the basket in the second half and finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Shamir Bogues stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals but struggled to make an impact after a hot start. Nick Fiorillo also struggled through an inefficient afternoon, finishing with 11 points and 7 rebounds on 4-12 shooting. Jace Roquemore was the one bright spot from the perimeter, knocking down 3-6 from distance for 9 points. Sean Blake struggled to finish around the rim but continues to take better care of the ball and finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds. The injuries have really sapped Vermont's depth and neutralized their normally impactful bench.
Some hard truths and hard work for Vermont this week as they try to bounce back on the road at Binghamton on Thursday.
