UMass Lowell 80 Vermont 65
UMass Lowell used hot shooting from three to dominate the Catamounts and moved into first place in the America East with the win. Lowell has been the frontrunner for all of the non-conference before experiencing their first hiccup against Albany on Sunday. They looked the part today demonstrating depth and performing well on both sides of the ball. They cemented themselves as the league favorite in the game tonight. This Vermont squad continues to play more and more shorthanded with Finn Sullivan out for this game with an illness and TJ Hurley continuing to nurse an injury. During this incredible run over the past several seasons, Vermont has either remained healthy or been able to overcome injuries with their experience and depth. This season has not gone that way and this Cats squad doesn't have the depth to make up for the mounting absences. This is particularly noticeable on offense. Sullivan and Hurley provide such a dynamic threat from the perimeter and their absence leaves Vermont with a lack of shooters. Vermont with those guys in the lineup is a different team. The rebounding has fallen off a cliff and is the biggest area of weakness for the Cats. They need to be an efficient shooting team because they are not going to get second chance opportunities on the offensive glass. Now with a week between games, it is a chance to get healthy and get mentally ready to shake off these tough losses on the road and get ready to make a run. The last few rounds of America East games have proven that there is no dominant team and on any given night anyone can win. With the league up for grabs it will be important to be playing the best basketball of the season in March.
Robin Duncan once again led the Cats with 16 points, 7 boards, and 5 assists. He continues to battle hard and is an important part of the offensive attack. Unfortunately for it to be most effective, the Cats have to knock down perimeter shots around him. Matt Veretto finished with 14 points and continues to be explosive in the first 4 minutes of the game. Aaron Deloney ended up with 11 points but most of those were with the game out of hand. He has really struggled as teams are keying on him defensively. Sam Alamutu had a nice stretch with some impressive dunks and finished with 7 points. Ileri Ayo-Faleye continues to earn himself more minutes and got the start with Sullivan out. He is bringing energy and athleticism to the defensive end and is strong from the free throw line. One thing that was noticeable today was that the new and young players are still struggling with the defensive rotations and that is where the Cats really missed Sullivan. Dylan Penn's impact on the game has fallen off a cliff in the past two games as he has really struggled to get good looks at the rim. Teams are walling him up in the paint and daring him to shoot over them.
Losing on the road to the early conference favorite has happened to the Cats in years past and they have been able to respond down the stretch by playing their best basketball in February and March. This is a different team but during the non-conference they were able to take it on the chin, regroup, and find a way to win. The home game against Maine next Thursday might be the most telling game of the season.
