Vermont 60 New Hampshire 40
Vermont used a dominant second half to open conference play in the win column. It is hard to believe but it was actually Vermont's first road win since their opener at UAB exactly two months ago. It all starts with the Catamounts trademark, best in the conference defense, which was incredible this afternoon. The coaching staff made several adjustments going to a kind of diamond 1-3-1 zone and bringing intermittent full court pressure. It was very effective with the Cats forcing 17 turnovers and finishing with 10 steals. That gave the Cats a 21-7 advantage in points of turnovers. Vermont is looking for ways to get easier shots at the rim and getting more live ball turnovers is one great way to do so. The first half was a slog that saw Vermont continue to struggle mightily from two point range, finishing the half 3-17 from inside the arc. In the second half the offense opened up and clicked on all cylinders. The were able to generate shots at the rim, hitting 12-20 from two point range in the second half. The Cats took good care of the ball, finishing with only 8 turnovers. A really big second half performance in a really big spot. Road wins are hard to come by, especially in conference play, and with the big road swing to start the conference schedule it was important to kick it off right.
TJ Hurley led the Cats with 17 points and also chipped in 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. He has really settled in as the Cats best offensive weapon and continues to score at all three levels. Nick Fiorillo is in the best stretch of his Catamount career and is sparking Vermont with energy and perimeter shooting. He finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and great defensive energy. Ileri Ayo-Faleye was aggressive going to the rim and finished with 12 points and 4 assists. He had some nice finishes and made some great passes as well. Sam Alamutu got the start with Jace Roquemore injured and finished with 4 points and 5 rebounds. Shamir Bogues continues to struggle with finishing around the rim (3-11 from the field) but was a spark defensively, finishing with 9 points and 4 steals. There was not a lot of production off the bench as Becker really shortened up the rotation in the second half.
A nice statement by the Cats to take care of business in the opener before the big showdowns next week with UMass Lowell and Bryant. Great measuring stick matchups to open the season and should make for exciting game action.
