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DURHAM, N.H. – The Vermont Catamounts held off the New Hampshire Wildcats to post their second straight victory, a 63-60, win in America East women's basketball action at Lundhom Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
Vermont, which wins back-to-back conference games for the first time this season, improves to 5-19 overall and 2-10 in America East. New Hampshire suffers its fifth straight loss, falling to 14-10 and 6-6 on conference play.
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Box Score (.pdf)
Highlights (courtesy of UNH Athletics) Kayla Burchill and
Katie Lavelle led Vermont with 13 points each. Burchill reached double figures for the third straight game and hit three 3-pointers in the contest. Lavelle set a new career-high for the second straight contest and was 6-for-9 from the field.
Kylie Atwood added 11 points, her best performance since returning from a shoulder injury, and
Niki Taylor and
Kylie Butler combined for 14 points and 111 rebounds for the Catamounts.
Elizabeth Belanger led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, but was 1-for-5 from 3-point range, for New Hampshire. Kaylee Kilpatrick and Peyton Booth chipped in 13 points for the Wildcats.
The game was tightly contested for the full 40 minutes, featuring 15 lead changes and 12 ties.
New Hampshire pulled out to a four-point lead on a 3-pointer by Kristen Anderson with 3:46 left in the first half. A pair of free throws by Belanger with 1:27 remaining in the stanza gave UNH a 31-26 lead, its largest of the game, but 3-pointer by Atwood at the halftime buzzer sliced New Hampshire's lead to two, 33-31, as the teams headed into the break.
In the second half, a layup by Carlie Pogue tied the game up at 48 with 8:59 left in the contest. The Catamounts scored four straight points to take a 52-48 advantage with 6:30 remaining. UNH answered with a 7-1 run, capped with a three-point play from Kilpatrick to push ahead 57-55 with 2:10 showing on the clock.
Sydney Smith responded with a 3-pointer on UVM's next possession to shove Vermont back in front, 58-57, with 1:53 remaining. The Catamounts would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way, but the Wildcats battled to the end.
A pair of free throws by Atwood gave UVM a 63-57 lead with 21 seconds left. Belanger converted a three-point play with 15 seconds showing on the clock to bring UNH within three, 63-60.
Smith was fouled with 13 seconds remaining, but missed both shots from the stripe. The Wildcats corralled the rebound and after a UNH timeout, Belanger's last second 3-point attempt from the left side missed off the back iron.
Vermont shot 36.4 percent from the floor, while UNH shot 39.6 percent from the field. The Catamounts won the battle on the boards, out rebounding the Wildcats 43 to 35. UVM also owned a 13-4 advantage in second chance points in the game.
Vermont continues on the road, traveling to Baltimore on Saturday for a game at UMBC. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the RAC. Kevin Fitzgerald will have the call on WVMT-620 AM (online: SportsJuice.com) and the game will be streamed online for free via AmericaEast.tv.