College basketball is the best.
Fresh off his player of the year award, TJ Hurley exploded in the second half and carried Vermont to the America East semifinals. What a game, what an atmosphere. Patrick was electric and the Cats showed out in one of their most well played games of the season. Vermont had Bryant at arms length for much of the game until the Bulldogs cut the lead to just four with 8:30 to go. The Cats responded with a 12-0 run and never looked back. Throughout the game, Vermont had the intensity, effort, and swagger that they have shown in spurts this season. The defense was once again really good and it goes beyond the box score. On paper Bryant shot a high percentage and took a lot of free throws, but they only attempted 38 shots for the entire game. That is an absurd number even for a slow paced game. Vermont gave up TWO offensive rebounds (they once again this season are second in all DI in defensive rebound percentage) and forced 12 Bryant turnovers. They were physical and in the Bulldogs grill from the opening tip. Offensively the Cats shot 57% (28-49) from the field and 45% (9-20) from three. Everybody that stepped on the on the floor made plays that helped contribute to the win.
What more can you say about TJ Hurley? An all time playoff performance from an all time Catamount. Talk about a guy that earned it. Four years of hard work, battling through injuries, improving and expanding his game, and now player of the year. He absolutely put the team on his back and scored 24 of his game high 29 points in the second half. Hurley finished 9/12 from the field and 5/7 from three. The first of the back to back and-one drives was a thing of absolute beauty. Not to mention fouling out Bryant's best player in the process. Gus Yalden and Sean Blake both chipped in 12 points and got the Cats going with strong first halves. Noah Barnett was incredible as usual with his energy and hustle, finishing with 8 points and 7 rebounds. He had a big block and a clutch, full extension, diving on the floor steal in a big moment. Momo Nkugwa continues to defy logic with his calm, under control and yet explosive play down the stretch. His dunk in the first half was vicious and thankfully he survived the scary fall. He had one of the most clutch buckets of the game, driving to the rim right after Bryant cut the lead to four to give the Cats some breathing room. Over the last 5 games he has played 86 minutes and has committed ONE turnover. (he has not turned the ball over in the last 4 games at all). Just incredible for anyone, much less a young player in the most important games of the season. TJ Long's defensive intensity set the tone from his first minutes on the court and he finished with 3 steals.
What a great college basketball game in an incredible atmosphere. There is nothing better than basketball in March. Tuesday can't come soon enough.
