Vermont 80 UNH 51
The Catamounts avenged their earlier loss to UNH in dominant fashion. Vermont put together one of their best games of the season on both sides of the ball to win their 8th consecutive game. The Cats held UNH to 34% shooting from the field and outrebounded them 36 to 27. The defense was crisp and it was a struggle for the Wildcats to get to 50 points. On the offensive side of the ball Vermont attacked the rim relentlessly, getting layup after layup. The Cats finished shooting 50% from the field and dictated the pace of the game from start to finish. This group is playing at such a high level right now. With every passing game, the play seems to be getting a little tighter and you can see the confidence in each other continuing to grow. The regular season title is there for the taking and Vermont is playing like a team that is laser focused on checking every box on that journey.
Dylan Penn was electric in the first half, slicing through the Wildcat defense. It seemed like every UNH player took a shot at stopping Penn and they all came up empty. He finished with 19 points on 8-11 shooting and grabbed 6 rebounds. He has settled in and looks so calm and comfortable initiating the offense for Vermont. Finn Sullivan scratched and clawed his way to 14 points on a night where he struggled from the perimeter. The highlight of the night was an absolute poster dunk by Sullivan followed by a massive block by Ileri Ayo-Faleye. Brought the house down for sure. Ileri would not be outdone as he also threw down a big dunk later in the contest. Aaron Deloney was great off the bench, scoring 15 points and finishing through contact with reckless abandon. Robin Duncan went "Full Voelkel" and set a new career high with 13 rebounds including a stretch in the second half where I think he grabbed about 5 consecutive rebounds. An absolute monster on the boards. He also chipped in 6 points and 7 assists to round out another amazing performance and now is just 3 assists shy of 400 for his career. Kam Gibson hit 3 threes to begin the second half and now sits just 16 points away from 1,000 for his career.
On to NJIT for a Saturday night road game before coming back home against Binghamton next Wednesday night. The Cats are locked in and playing with the confidence and focus of a team that knows they control their own destiny.
Quite the turn around from non-conference. This is what we are used to, but in such different fashion. Coach(es) figured it out…
ReplyDeleteand the players figured it out. Almost would like to play the non-conference again to see how “this new group” would measure up. Let’s see. 7 more consecutive wins would be decent momentum into the Dance!
We have grown accustomed to Vermont teams improving throughout the season but this one has been special in the amount of work and the "distanced traveled" between the early season a current performance.
DeleteAny word on when Fiorillo is set to return?
ReplyDeleteSounds like be might be able to return for the last home game on Feb. 28. I am not sure how much of an impact he will be able to make but it will be great to see him healthy.
DeleteThey are playing with purpose and as a team! It is fun to watch. It may be premature but I feel the coaching staff should get coaches of the year for the work they have done. On a minor note, it was obvious to see that the second unit that played the final 4 minutes are still a step behind the veteran crew...
ReplyDeleteThe vets are fifth year seniors plus Verretto. They have become a well oiled machine. The second unit is composed of puppies who are new to D1. As far as freshman, Hurley is the exception rather than the rule. The Catamounts deserve SRO crowds, and Becker should give Lee a raise!
DeleteThe young guys need some more seasoning for sure, which is to be expected. This has been a masterclass in getting the most out of each player. No money for me. Just a fun hobby!
Delete