That one’s on me. Blogger jinx.
After praising the Cats ability to not let games get away from them….they let one get away from them. Rhode Island came out in the second half and switched to a scramble, trapping defense that overwhelmed Vermont and changed the complexion of the game. The Cats were back on their heels and never really recovered, getting out-worked in the second half. They particularly struggled with the Rams physicality on the boards, getting absolutely dominated in the trenches in the second half. Going in, the chief concern was Rhode Island getting to the line and that played out in that exact fashion. The Rams made more free throws (26) than the Cats attempted (23). These three games in three days tourneys push teams to their limit and will test their mental fortitude. There was definitely some frustration and exasperation in this one. Tomorrow’s game will say a lot about how this team is going to handle this difficult stretch of games.
With the GusBus parked in the second half, and Becker trying to find a combination that had the gusto to compete with the Rams physicality, the bench got a lot of run. TJ Long led the Cats with 13 points but struggled to get much going against the relentless Rhode Island defense. Ben Johnson was the other Catamount in double figures with 11. Ben Michaels finally got some extended time in the second half and chipped in 9 points and 4 rebounds. It was good to see him get some positive minutes. Momo Nkugwa played well again, grabbing 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Noah Barnett battled hard with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Gus Yalden and Lucas Mari struggled with the frenetic defense early in the second half and did not play much afterword.
This is the first real dig deep moment of the season and it will be interesting to see how the Cats respond. No gimmies during this stretch and this game was incredibly physical so it will be a good test to see who has something left in the tank tomorrow.
