Vermont dominated from start to finish en route to their 5th straight win. The offense was humming all afternoon with the Cats shooting 60.7% from the field and knocking down 13 threes. Albany put up little defensive resistance and the Great Danes early season drubbing of UMass Lowell is a distant memory. The defense was locked in for the first half before trading buckets in a second half where the Cats were up by 30 for much of it. So far road games in the America East have produced some wild results making every game even more important. Vermont has solidified their identity and has been coming out with purpose and intention during this win streak. Players have grown into their roles and the coaching staff is finding the right combinations. On the offensive and defensive ends the movements are fluid and the trust and togetherness that was a work in progress earlier in the season, is finally on solid ground. All of the games the rest of the way are crucial but this week is particularly important. The road game at Maine is always tough and the Black Bears are proving to be a dangerous team, fresh off dominating UMBC. Can't fall into the trap with the big home showdown with UMass Lowell looming one week from today. The Cats have put themselves in a great position with the first half of the conference season behind them. Now it is a matter of continuing to build the momentum.
Dylan Penn was great in the game today. He scored 17 points on 7-8 shooting and had 5 assists for the second consecutive game. Throw in 3 steals and he has fully integrated himself into the Vermont system. Penn is finding the holes in the defense and is making the extra pass when the defense collapses. He is such a unique weapon and is finding ways to make an impact without scoring. Finn Sullivan poured it on in the second half, finishing with 19 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. He is making himself more of a threat on offense and he is the key in making the Vermont offense explosive. Matt Veretto continues to surprise and exceed expectations with another strong performance. He finished with 16 points on 4-6 shooting from three. After three years away from college basketball, Veretto has gotten up to speed much faster than anticipated. He opens things up for the Cats offense with his shooting ability. Kam Gibson had another strong effort with 13 points. He is providing a nice blend of perimeter shooting and creating his own shot off the dribble. Aaron Deloney had 14 points off the bench, attacking the basket and bringing energy. Robin Duncan once again made it all happen with 4 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds in a team high 31 minutes. Albany forced him to be more of a distributor and he responded with a season high 8 assists.
The grind of the second half of conference play is upon the Cats and playing teams the second time through is always a different challenge. Taking it one game at a time and staying mentally tough down the stretch are the keys for the rest of the season.
P.S. I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who was involved in putting together the National Girls & Women in sports day at Patrick Gym this afternoon. My daughter had a blast and the whole event was really great to see. The crowd was incredible and the Cats got a big win to top it all off!
