Just win baby.
Vermont clamped down on the defensive end after a sluggish first half and the offense finally broke through with a 15-0 run to push past Dartmouth. The Cats held Dartmouth without a basket for 8 minutes in the second half and held Dusan Neskovic scoreless after he came out red hot with 17 first half points. Coach Becker was hot from the start in this one, getting after guys left and right during the lackluster play in the first half. The halftime speech clearly had an effect as the effort and intensity was up a few notches in the second half. The defense continues to impress with its physicality and strong rim protection. So far this season the Cats have done a really good job at making things hard for opposing teams at the rim. That is crucial in keeping games within reach when the offense is struggling. The offense was choppy and a bit discombobulated in this one, looking like an early season game with guys seemingly not on the same page. They are still searching for consistency in getting to the rim and breaking down defenses off the dribble. The wealth of shotmaking continues to impress and is helping to dig the Cats out of some tough holes.
It was the TJ show during the big second half run as TJ Long made three consecutive threes before passing the baton to TJ Hurley for a quick five straight points. They both played tough physical defense in the second half as well in a clutch performance all around. They were the only Cats in double figures with Long finishing with 14 points and Hurley finishing with 12 points and 6 rebounds. It was great to see Long bounce back after a tough game and Hurley has looked better and better with each game. Hurley also had the highlight of the night with a huge three and the foul to really seal the game. Sam Alamutu continues to come up with big plays and led the Cats once again with 7 rebounds. He had a huge offensive rebound and bucket during the big run that ignited the crowd. Ileri Ayo-Faleye continues to make game changing plays with two big second half blocks. The first one could have blown a hole in the floor it was spiked down so hard. Nick Fiorillo finished with 5 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes. He played tough on both ends of the floor and adds an important dimension to the Cats rotation. Tonight was the first real tough game for Shamir Bogues as he looked out of sorts and finished with 5 turnovers. Aaron Deloney gutted through another tough shooting night but finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in a team high 31 minutes. He still doesn't look comfortable on the offensive end but is working hard to contribute to winning in other ways.
Now on to a big game Saturday night. Yale has looked very good in the early going this season and really took it to Vermont last season in a 73-44 loss for the Cats. The returners will be looking for a bit of revenge at Patrick in what should be a great game.
