Vermont used tough defense and clutch shot-making to take sole possession of first place in the America East, beating UMBC in front of a raucous Patrick Gym crowd. The first half was a back and forth affair with both teams feeling each other out. In the second half, the Cats defense really locked in and made life difficult for the high flying Retrievers offense. In the middle of the second half, Vermont had several chances to stretch the lead and put the game away but could not cash in. UMBC took advantage and went on a 11-3 spurt to tie the game at 51. The Cats responded with big threes from Ben Johnson and Lucas Mari and got the stops they needed to win the game. The defense was particularly impressive in this one as UMBC was held under 60 points for only the second time this season. The lowest they had scored during conference play was 69. The rotations were great and they held the Retrievers to 23% (6-26) shooting from three. They also forced UMBC to play quite a bit in isolation as they were only able to muster 7 assists in the game. Offensively, the Cats are still struggling to find consistency but made 11 threes and had 13 assists on 20 made baskets. The ball movement was great once again and everyone is looking to find the best shot. Huge win to start a decisive weekend in the early battle for first place in the America East.
TJ Hurley stayed red hot, scoring 18 points on 7-11 shooting. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and played tremendous defense on DJ Armstrong Jr. He looks so in command on the court right now. Lucas Mari continued his breakout with 16 points and 6 rebounds. He scored 8 of those points down the stretch to put the game away including two beautiful corner threes. He has turned a corner in his adjustment to the college game and has been huge over the past week. Ben Johnson continues to impress in his starter role, finishing with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. His three in response to UMBC tying the game was clutch. He also had a great block on a three point attempt in the second half. Sean Blake was incredible despite only taking 2 shots (and despite a tough night at the foul line). He finished with 5 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists and is making so many big plays. He has really found an incredible balance to his game and is running the offense with a strong presence. Gus Yalden struggled to get going, shooting 2-13 from the field. Teams are really throwing a lot at him defensively and forcing him to catch the ball away from the paint. He is battling and scored 8 points while more crucially dishing out 5 assists. Even when he is struggling to score he is opening up the offense with his screening and punishing the extra defensive attention with his passing. Ben Michaels continues to provide tough defense and finally got a shot to go down.
Huge momentum and confidence builder going into another showdown with second place NJIT on Saturday. Can't wait!
