Dylan Penn exploded in the second half and Vermont used their trademark defense to open conference play with a big road win. With all the ups and downs of the non-conference and such a long and unexpected break between games, this game was going to serve as a measuring stick for the Cats. They passed the test with flying colors against a hot UMBC team. Vermont leaned on their trademark defense to shut down the UMBC three point attack. The Retrievers are one of the better three point shooting teams in the country and the Cats held them to 7/30 (23%) from distance. After giving up some uncharacteristic offensive rebounds, the Cats tightened things up down the stretch and were able to gain the rebounding edge. On the offensive side of the ball the Cats knocked down 11/25 (44%) from three and shot 53% from the field for the game. Vermont played with poise and responded to every UMBC challenge. A big road win against one of the challengers in conference is a great start and sets up a huge showdown at Patrick with Bryant on Thursday.
Dylan Penn led the Cats with 19 points and 9 rebounds. He threw in a couple steals and was the most engaged he has been in a Catamount uniform on both ends of the floor. He took over the game in the second half and showed off the entire arsenal of finishes around the rim. Matt Veretto took care of things in the first half, finishing with 15 points on 3-6 shooting from three. He looks better and better every game, shaking off the rust after three years away from college basketball. Ileri Ayo-Faleye was the unsung hero of the game, coming out of nowhere to play big minutes. He altered shots, disrupted passing lanes, and knocked down 6-6 from the free throw line. Hard to overstate how out of nowhere this performance was after Ayo-Faleye had not played outside of garbage time since the Lyndon game on December 2nd. Robin Duncan was once again the heartbeat of the Catamounts with 4 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. Finn Sullivan and TJ Hurley hit timely threes and finished a combined 5/8 from from distance. Aaron Deloney struggled mightily with his shot finishing 1-9 from the field, but played the role of distributor down the stretch with some nice assists.
Getting road wins in conference is always a tall task and this year's teams has faced more adversity than most. This was a huge game in building momentum to use the experiences they have had thus far this season and apply them to make a run at a championship. The Bryant game will be intense and filled with lots of emotion in what should be a great environment at Patrick.
P.S. Sorry about no extra conference preview. Time gets away sometimes but I am beyond excited for conference play. Happy New Year!!!
