WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
A three-game road swing closes out the 2016 calendar year for the Vermont women's basketball team, beginning with a trip to Michigan on Saturday (Dec. 17) and Oakland on Tuesday (Dec. 20). Tip off in both games is scheduled for noon and 1 p.m., respectively.
 
Live video (with subscription) will be available during Saturday's game through BTN2go. Both games will be broadcast live on WVMT 620-AM as well as online through Catamounts All-Access, with Tyler Terens manning play-by-play duties. Live stats will also be available via GameTracker. Tuesday's game will be available exclusively through Terens on WVMT and Catamounts All-Access in addition to live stats coverage.
 
RELATED LINKS
Michigan: Video | Audio | Live Stats
Oakland: Audio | Live Stats
Vermont Notes | Michigan Notes
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
Hanna Crymble had her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Lauren Handy chipped in 16 points, but Brown's Erika Steeves racked up 17 points to go with 11 boards of her own as the Bears topped UVM 62-50 at Patrick Gymnasium last Thursday (Dec. 8). Rachel Merrill had a career-high seven rebounds in the setback, while Handy netted four blocks, also a single-game high for the sophomore.
 
After being faced with a 12-point deficit following the first quarter, the Catamounts constructed a 14-1 run over a stretch of 5:19 in the second. With the help of behind the arc points from Crymble, Handy and Kristina White, UVM clawed its way back and trailed only by a 25-24 margin at halftime. The Catamounts also responded to an early third quarter Brown run with a 3-pointer courtesy of Handy before Crymble buried a layup and White hit from downtown. White's three ultimately put the Catamounts in front by a 32-31 margin, completing a double-digit comeback effort.
 
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Michigan (9-3) is coming off of a 69-46 win over Ohio on Tuesday at the Crisler Center. Junior Katelynn Flaherty had a team-high 25 points, including 13 in the third quarter as the Point Pleasant, New Jersey native reached 1,500 career points and became the program's seventh player all-time to reach that mark.
 
As a team the Wolverines boast 81.2 points per game, outscoring their opponents who average 55 on a night-to-night basis. Flaherty (20 ppg), along with Hallie Thome (12.7 ppg) and Kysre Gondrezick (12.5 ppg) lead the charge offensively. Flaherty's pace also ranks fourth in the Big Ten. On the glass, fans should keep an eye out for Jillian Dunston (6.9 rpg) as well as Thome (6.3 rpg).
 
This season marks Kim Barnes Arico's fifth season on the U-M bench. She arrived in Ann Arbor following 10 seasons at St. John's and has led the Wolverines to 20-plus wins in each of her previous four years. That timeframe has also seen the squad punch three WNIT tickets and one NCAA Second Round trip.
 
Vermont and Michigan do not currently have any opponents in common, although U-M has already knocked off future Catamount foes Oakland (101-63) and Howard (109-41).
 
SCOUTING OAKLAND
The Golden Grizzlies (5-4) was most recently in action on Sunday (Dec. 11), being handed a 66-59 loss by Ball State of the Mid-American Conference. Leah Somerfield had a career-best 22 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds for Oakland in the setback.
 
Powering the OU offense in part are Taylor Gleason (13.3 ppg) and Sha'Keya Graves (10.7 ppg). Detroit native and sophomore Taylor Jones has been a key source of support off the bench, averaging 16.1 points. Hannah Little has been a force on the boards, recording 11.6 rebounds per game.
 
Head coach Jeff Tungate is in his fourth campaign guiding his alma mater. Tungate didn't have to move far to take the reins of the Golden Grizzlies; he served a six-year stint as associate head coach on the men's side during which the squad reached the NCAA Tournament three times.
 
Prior to meeting UVM, Oakland will travel to Assembly Hall for a Saturday evening (Dec. 17) matchup at Indiana.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
This is the first-ever matchup between Vermont and Michigan in women's basketball. However, the Big Ten is not uncharted territory for the Catamounts as UVM upset seventh-seeded Wisconsin in the 2010 NCAA Tournament First Round by a 64-55 margin.
 
The 2015-16 schedule houses UVM's only matchup to date with Oakland. Nine Catamounts scored and Katie Lavelle racked up a career-high 14 points, but the Golden Grizzlies strung together a 9-1 run for a 67-56 advantage with two minutes left to play. Five trips to the charity stripe in the final 90 seconds sealed Oakland's 74-68 victory.
 
DOUBLE THE FUN
UVM has had double-double performances turned in during each of its last two games at Patrick Gymnasium. Most recently, Hanna Crymble registered 11 points and 10 rebounds against Brown (Dec. 8), while Candice Wright chipped in 10 points and 11 boards in a win over Holy Cross (Nov. 30).
 
Four double-doubles were recorded last season, culminating with Hayley Robertson's 20 points and 10 rebounds against UMass Lowell on Feb. 8, 2016. Sydney Smith also accomplished the feat twice.
 
PAIR OF CATAMOUNTS EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES
Following the Catamounts' runner-up performance at the TD Bank Classic (Nov. 25-26), both Smith and Crymble were named to the event's All-Tournament Team. Each logged 12 points in UVM's opening round win over NJIT (Nov. 25) and Crymble chipped in 11 points in the Championship Game against Milwaukee (Nov. 26).
 
HERE'S THE POINT
Crymble's weekend at the TD Bank Classic marked the rookie's third and fourth consecutive games reaching double figures in scoring and fifth in Vermont's first six matchups on the season. The four-game streak was the longest by a Catamount freshman since Smith reached double figures in seven straight games from Nov. 25-Dec. 14, 2014.
 
WELCOME TO VERMONT, COACH
A 1997 graduate of West Chester University in Pennsylvania, head coach Chris Day arrives in Vermont following a three-year stint as an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania. During his time at Penn, the Quakers punched two tickets to the NCAA Tournament and captured two Ivy League titles. The squad amassed 67 wins during his tenure, including a remarkable 36-6 mark in conference action.
 
The eighth head coach in UVM history, Day also spent time in coaching capacities at Indiana (2012-13), Saint Joseph's (2005-12) and La Salle (2004-05). He served a three-year stint (2000-03) as head coach at Division III Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, helping Widener make its first postseason appearance in 20 years.
 
NEXT UP
Vermont will break for the holidays following the Oakland game and resume action on Dec. 30 with a 2 p.m. tilt at Howard.
 
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