WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont travels to Hanover, New Hampshire on Wednesday (Dec. 9) to face the Dartmouth Big Green in a twin-state matchup. Tip-off at Leede Arena is set for 12 p.m.
 
Radio coverage begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off at 11:40 a.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram calling the action. The game can also be viewed via pay-per-view on the IvyLeagueNetwork.
 
RELATED LINKS
Game Coverage - Video ($) | Audio | Stats | Game Notes (.pdf)
 
ABOUT VERMONT
The Catamounts (2-6, 0-0) top the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at a clip of 30.8-percent and their defense holds opponents to just 36.7-percent from the field, the lowest percentage in America East.
 
Vermont's defense also blocks more shots than any other team in the conference (46) and ranks among the top-25 in the NCAA. Behind three players who rank among the top-five in America East, UVM averages 5.8 blocks per game, 1.4 more than the second-ranked team.

LAST TIME OUT | CatamounTV Highlights
UVM snapped a six-game losing streak as it picked up a 53-51 win over Sacred Heart on Sunday afternoon at Patrick Gymnasium. Vermont improved to 2-6 while the Pioneers fell to 1-6.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Hayley Robertson and Lauren Handy started the second quarter and created a five-point cushion for UVM. A 7-2 run by the Pioneers tied the game at 22 with 4:03 to go in the second. Courtney Wright finished a give-and-go with Robertson in the final seconds to tie the game at 28 heading into the locker room.
 
At the start of the fourth quarter, Sydney Smith laid one up from under the basket and added her second triple of the game giving Vermont a 10-point advantage. UVM took its largest lead of the game, a 15-point cushion, with 2:17 left in the game when Robertson put home a fast-break layup. The Catamounts held off a late Pioneer rally to escape by the final of 53-51.
 
SMITH IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Sydney Smith paces Vermont's offense by averaging 13.4 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game in her 32 minutes on the floor. In her eight starts this season, she has recorded double-digits in the scoring column four times. Her 7.6 rebounding average is almost double of her 4.0 rpg last season.
 
She also had another career game on Sunday in the Catamounts' win against Sacred Heart. Smith posted six blocks for a career and game best, totaling 14 (1.8 blocks per game) on the season for the most on the team. Her six blocks are tied for 14th in the NCAA for most blocks in a single game.
 
Smith recorded her second double-double (30 points, 11 rebounds) in six games against Quinnipiac on Nov. 28. Smith drained seven shots from behind the arc, a personal and a current conference-best, and tallied 30 total points, the most of any Catamount since assistant coach Courtnay Pilypaitis posted 36 points during the 2009-10 season. She grabbed 11 rebounds for a career-high as well.
 
A HOT START FOR HAYLEY
Freshman Hayley Robertson has made a name for herself at UVM in her short time in Burlington. The Toronto, Ontario native is averaging 9.8 ppg, ranks second on the team with 3.0 assists per game, and paces the squad with 14 steals. Robertson has started six of Vermont's eight games at guard this season and ranks among the top-10 for assists in America East.
 
CATS IN THE CONFERENCE
Four Catamounts are positioned among the top-5 in seven categories in America East standings. Smith has been a force on both ends of the floor this season as she leads the conference in 3-pointers made (24) and has grabbed the third most defensive rebounds (47). Smith's 3.0 3-pointers per game are tied for 16th overall in the NCAA.
 
Smith, Candice Wright and Gracia Hutson rank second, third and fourth in the conference in blocks, each averaging at least 1.1 blocks per game. Graduate student Andreana Thomas dishes out the fourth most assists per game (4.1 apg) and has the fourth best free throw percentage in America East by averaging 84-percent from the line (26-for-31).

SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN
For the second year in a row, the Dartmouth women's basketball team was selected to finish sixth in the 2015-16 Ivy League Preseason Poll. In its most recent matchup, Dartmouth (1-7) fell to fellow America East opponent Maine 59-41 on Sunday.
 
Last season, the Big Green finished with a record of 14-14 and a conference mark of 5-9. It marked the first time Dartmouth won more than six games since the 2010-11 season.
 
Lakin Roland leads Dartmouth in points (13.4 ppg) and rebounds (8.5 rpg), and is second on the team in assists (1.9 apg). The 2015 All-Ivy League Honorable Mention has posted double-figure scoring in seven of her eight games and has grabbed at least four rebounds in each contest to account for three double-doubles this season.

SERIES HISTORY
Vermont leads the all-time series against Dartmouth 16-15, claiming seven of the last 10 meetings. After falling in three straight meetings, UVM picked up a win in its most recent contest against the Big Green 68-63 last season at Patrick Gym.
 
WHO'S NEXT
UVM takes a week off before continuing its four-game road trip at NJIT on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. then travels to Delaware to take on the Blue Hens on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m.