Vermont at St. Mary's 11/10/22

St. Mary's 79 Vermont 53

St. Mary's dominated Vermont on the boards and used their trademark smothering defense to hand Vermont their first loss. After a favorable matchup in the opener, the Cats were challenged by a St. Mary's team with a strong post presence and they struggled to play their small lineup effectively. Vermont tried to send double teams to compensate for their lack of size but the Gaels disciplined, unselfish offense picked apart the scrambling Vermont defense. Vermont also struggled to find any offensive rhythm against the vaunted St. Mary's defense. Once again the inexperience showed with too many turnovers, disjointed offensive possessions, and missed rotations on defense. Vermont struggled mightily on the boards and currently that is the weakness they need to address most urgently. St. Mary's is one of the most consistently strong mid-major programs in the country and they proved that tonight. This will serve as a starting point for the Cats to learn from and begin to grow and gel as a team. 

Robin Duncan had an offensive explosion scoring the first seven points for Vermont and finishing with a team high 14 points. It is the most points Duncan has scored since he scored 16 against Lyndon State in the third game of his career back in 2018 (that seems like another lifetime). He knocked down 2/2 from three as he looks to increase his role in the offense this season. Dylan Penn chipped in 13 points as the only other Catamount in double figures. It was an uneven game from Penn with some turnovers and defensive mistakes but he was finally able to find some space and get to the basket. Getting some rhythm and positive momentum after missing so much time is important for Penn. Finn Sullivan led Vermont with 7 rebounds and chipped in 8 points of his own. Aaron Deloney was the target of the St. Mary's defensive effort after his offensive explosion on Monday and struggled to find daylight, finishing with 7 points. Matt Veretto tweaked his foot in the first half and did not return. After having foot problems over the summer, I hope it is nothing too serious. 

Vermont really took it on the chin in this one and it will be interesting to see how they bounce back against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday night. With a young team learning about the rigors of college basketball it will be important to build some positive momentum with USC looming on Tuesday night.