GusBus turbo charged!!
In a roller-coaster of a game, Vermont went on an 8-0 run down the stretch to pull out a much needed win. It is hard not to overstate how important of a win this was for the Cats. After looking like a well oiled machine in the first half, Vermont disappeared and blew a 23 point lead. They needed to find a way or it would have been quite a demoralizing trip north. In the first half, the ball was flying around on offense and the Cats built a big lead. They finally had both sides of the ball working and were really hustling, diving for loose balls and looking good on the boards. Then all of sudden, Vermont was completely deflated and Princeton could not be stopped. All of the struggles the Cats have had on defense manifested at the same time and things looked grim. Then the Cats did just enough to pull out the win in the end. Vermont sure learned a lot about themselves on this trip and they responded just enough in this one. It is definitely taking some getting used to seeing a Vermont team where the offense is the side of the ball coming up with plays to win games.
Gus Yalden was an absolute force on the offensive end, finishing with a career high 27 points on 11-14 shooting (in only 22 minutes). He hit the game tying three and then the go ahead bucket on back to back possessions to rescue the Cats. He showcased his inside outside game and beautiful touch around the basket. The coaching staff is in an interesting position as Yalden is so key to the offense but much of the run that Princeton went on to get back into the game was putting Yalden in all the screen actions and taking advantage of his defensive limitations. That will be an interesting battle for Yalden during the season. In this one, the offense won out and he was fabulous getting Vermont buckets when they needed them. TJ Long chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds. He did a nice job picking his spots and taking what the defense gave him. Sean Blake earned the start as the Cats went with the smaller lineup to get more scoring punch and Blake continued his stat stuffing start to this season. Blake finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. TJ Hurley battled the flu all week and finished with 7 points. Every Catamount that played scored in an all around team effort. Jackson Skipper scored two big buckets when the offense was struggling and Momo Nkugwa continued an impressive tournament with 4 points and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.
Now Vermont is home for a tough game against Yale before another big road trip to the west coast. If nothing else the games this season sure have been full of excitement! I am going to miss the game on Sunday but will try to watch it later in the evening and get a post out. Until then have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
