WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont women's basketball team heads to Rhode Island for a pair of contests versus Bryant in Smithfield on Saturday (Nov. 21) at 1 p.m. followed by Brown on Monday (Nov. 23) at 7 p.m.
 
The Bryant game will be streamed via NEC Front Row and can be heard on WVMT 620-AM, SportsJuice.com, or the TuneIn app. Pre-game radio coverage with Bruce Glazer begins 20 minutes before tip-off at 12:40 p.m.
 
RELATED LINKS
Game Coverage - Video | Audio | Stats | Game Notes (.pdf)
 
ABOUT VERMONT
Head coach Lori Gear McBride earned her 100th career win as the Catamounts downed Central Connecticut State last Friday 79-63 in their home opener. Vermont's 79 points were the most recorded by UVM since its game versus Albany on Jan. 29 of last season.
 
The Catamounts are shooting 37-percent from the field (44-for-111) and out-rebounding opponents 89-87. UVM is averaging 6.5 blocks per contest as Courtney Wright has collected five blocks in two games.
 
Freshmen Candice Wright, Courtney Wright and Hayley Robertson are making an impact in their first two games as Catamounts, averaging at least 20 minutes of action per contest.

LAST TIME OUT
Vermont fell on the road Tuesday night to the Columbia Lions 73-56 in Levian Gym. UVM dropped to 1-1 (0-0) and Columbia improved to 2-0.
 
Andreana Thomas paced the Vermont offense with 14 points and Candice Wright chipped in eight for UVM. Courtney Wright shot 100-percent from the field (3-for-3) for a second straight game as she totaled seven points and a team-high nine rebounds. Vermont was held to 6-for-22 from 3-point range and shot 34-percent from the field.

Camille Zimmerman and Tori Oliver took off on a 13-2 run to begin the second half and put the Lions up 43-31. A late third period rally by Sydney Smith and Thomas brought the Catamounts back to within seven, but Oliver knocked down the final bucket of the third period for a 55-46 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Kylie Butler remained strong from the free throw line, adding a pair to finish 7-for-10 from the stripe on the night. A final 10-3 run late in the second half secured Columbia's 17-point victory.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
For the first time in program history, the Bulldogs finished as NEC regular-season co-champions, completing the regular season with a program-best 21-8 record and 13-3 mark in the conference during the 2014-15 season.
 
Bryant was tied for first with Robert Morris in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, collecting two of the nine first-place votes.
 
Reigning NEC Player of the Year and All-ECAC Third Team selection, Breanna Rucker, returns as the Bulldogs' most dangerous threat on the boards. Rucker is averaging 9.5 points per game and leads the team in rebounds with 10.5 per game while averaging 28 minutes on the floor.
 
Sophomore Ivory Bailey is back after earning NEC Rookie of the Year honors after posting the highest scoring average (11.2) in Bryant's Division I program history. She is also second on the team this season with 10 rebounds per contest.
 
As a squad, Bryant is shooting 31.7-percent from the field, averaging 59.5 points per contest. The Bulldogs are 19-for-39 (.487) from the foul line and averaging 19.5 trips to the stripe per game.

The Bulldogs begin their 2015-16 season 0-2 with losses against Seton Hall on the road and Cornell in their home opener. Bryant's contest against Seton Hall was the first matchup in program history and the Pirates topped the Bulldogs 93-57. Ivory Bailey led Bryant's offense with a team-high 21 points.

The Bulldogs hosted Cornell last Sunday and fell to the Big Red 70-62. Cornell shot 50-percent (28-56) from the field was able to turn 21 Bryant turnovers into 19 points despite an early Bulldog lead.

SERIES HISTORY
Bryant leads 2-1 in the all-time series against Vermont. The Catamounts' lone win came during the 1984-85 season with a 72-61 victory in Burlington. The teams' most recent contest took place last season in Patrick Gym as the Bulldogs topped Vermont 72-55.  
 
WHO'S NEXT
UVM travels to Brown in Providence on Monday (Nov. 23) at 7 p.m. The Brown game will be streamed live via ivyleaguedigitalnetwork.com and can be heard on WVMT 620-AM, SportsJuice.com, or the TuneIn app with Kevin Fitzgerald calling the action. Pre-game coverage begins 20 minutes before tip-off at 6:40 p.m.

KEEP UP WITH THE CATS
There are several ways to keep up with all women's basketball news, notes and results in Catamount Country:
Twitter – follow @UVMwbb and when tweeting about the Catamounts use the hashtag #VCats
Instagram – follow us at instagram.com/vermontcatamounts
Facebook – like us at facebook.com/vermont.catamounts
YouTube – watch game highlights and other features at youtube.com/uvmathletics
 
Catamount Score Alerts - Can't make it to a game and not near a computer, receive the final score from all games via a text message to your mobile device. Click here to sign up for the Catamount Score Alerts for women's basketball and any other teams. Message and data rates may apply.
 
America East Digital Network - Watch all home games and America East games on the America East Digital Network. This season the University of Vermont is an official member of the America East Digital Network. All UVM home games and all America East road games can be seen on the network for FREE at AmericaEast.tv. Visit the women's basketball schedule for links to the video streams.

eNews - Receive game summaries, releases and weekly previews for UVM women's basketball delivered to your own personal email inbox by signing up for the UVM Women's Basketball eNews. The service is FREE, click here to sign up today.