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Defensive grind is back!!
In a slow and sluggish game Vermont was able to survive and win their conference home opener over Binghamton. Jeremiah Quigley was spectacular for Binghamton with a near triple double, but was unable to carry them all the way. The Bearcats were in command fro much of the night, controlling the tempo and slowing the game to a snails crawl. Neither offense could gain any traction as the defenses set the tone. The Bearcats held Vermont to only 15 attempts from three, by far their fewest of the season. Vermont countered by dominating points in the paint (28-12) and winning the rebounding battle. With four minutes to go, Binghamton went up by six and things were looking grim. The Catamount defense came to the rescue and Vermont finished the game on a 9-2 run to eek out the win. Old school Vermont victory. The free throw shooting was *cough* abysmal at 13-24 (54%) and the game ended with a strange missed free throws/halfcourt heave anticlimax. Conference play is quite the rollercoaster. Both teams are dealing with significant injuries and Vermont spent almost the entire second half without Gus Yalden as he continues to battle some calf(?) injuries. The Cats that were called upon stepped up in big spots and showcased the Vermont "next man up" mentality.
I will begin with the end. Momo Nkugwa saved Vermont with a spectacular final four minutes which featured tough battles on the boards, 6 of his 8 points, and the game winning free throws. He was incredible and showed poise beyond his years. Clutch. Jackson Skipper also has some big moments, hitting clutch free throws and coming up with a huge block on the defensive end. Skipper finished with 5 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. Ben Michaels stepped in for the injured Yalden and finished with 8 points and 3 rebounds in 24 minutes. Big day for the bench crew. Yalden was the only Catamount in double figures, finishing with 15 points and 5 rebounds. He kept the Cats in the game in the first half with two big threes. Sean Blake finished with 9 points and Lucas Mari chipped in 7 points. TJ Hurley had the game saving block and dished out 6 assists to offset only scoring 3 points. TJ Long struggled to knock down shots but pulled down 9 rebounds to go along with 3 points. Better days are ahead for the TJs but they showed how to impact the game even when not at their best.
Now the Cats get a week off to hopefully get fully healthy before welcoming Maine to Patrick. Vermont is ready for a little payback after the Black Bears ended their season last year.
