Vermont 59 Maine 57
Well that was brutal.
Vermont survived a determined Maine team and picked up their fourth straight victory. The Cats played uninspired basketball for much on the game. Maine kept Vermont off balance with changing defenses and physical play. The lone bright spot for the Cats was Ryan Davis who set a career high with 22 points. He also led the team with 7 rebounds while single-handedly keeping Vermont in the game. He has started to break out of his slump and his play down the stretch will be crucial as an offensive threat to relieve some pressure off Anthony Lamb in the post. The rest of the Cats struggled to find any kind of rhythm as the poor perimeter shooting once again reared its ugly head. Vermont finished 4-20 from downtown and it is time to wonder if they are going to be able to get it going from deep down the stretch. What was most disappointing about this game was that Vermont had taken some significant steps forward after the loss to Stony Brook. This game feels representative of the how the season has progressed. Each time the Cats start to put it together, they come out and take a step back. However, they did pull out the win on the road and if you look at some of the other scores from around the America East tonight, there was something in the water. Previously winless UMBC went on the road and defeated Hartford while Binghamton went out and beat Stony Brook on the road. A topsy-turvey night in the league and Vermont was able to pull out the win. The results form around the league tonight speak to how important it is to show up for every game as conference play offers no easy matchups. Now the Cats come home to a high flying UMass Lowell team that has always played Vermont very tough. Patrick should be rocking on Saturday night.
