WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
On the heels of a Wednesday night (Nov. 30) win over Holy Cross in Burlington, the Vermont women's basketball team now treks south to Philadelphia for a Sunday afternoon (Dec. 4) matchup with Temple of the American Athletic Conference. Tip off will be at 2 p.m. from McGonigle Hall.
In addition, the weekend trip represents a homecoming of sorts for head coach
Chris Day, a Philadelphia native who made multiple coaching stops in his home city before heading to Vermont.
Sunday's game will be streamed online for free through OwlsTV. As always, Tyler Terens will handle play-by-play duties on WVMT 620-AM as well as through Catamounts All-Access. Live stats will be provided through SIDEARM Stats.
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Game Notes: Vermont
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
Sophomore
Candice Wright pocketed her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Catamounts downed Holy Cross 63-52 at Patrick Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Vermont assisted on four of its six first quarter field goals and outscored Holy Cross in the paint by an 8-2 margin in the opening frame.
UVM constructed a 12-1 run coming out of halftime. That span, which included three straight 3-pointers, began when
Sydney Smith grabbed an offensive rebound and put home a layup at the 9:25 mark. After Wright made a free throw,
Kallie Banker (2) and
Kristina White proceeded to hit from behind the arc.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
Folliwing a 72-63 setback on Thursday at Harvard, the Owls are 3-2 on the season. Temple was held to just 32.4% from the field despite junior Tanaya Atkinson's third straight double-double.
Senior Feyonda Fitzgerald has paced the offense so far this season, averaging 19.2 points per game, followed closely by Atkinson (18.2 ppg). The latter also has played a key role on the glass, coming down with 9.4 rebounds per game.
Head coach Tonya Cardoza is in her ninth campaign leading the Owls, most recently recording her second consecutive season of 20-plus wins. Last year Temple posted a 23-12 mark and 13-5 in the American, their best since joining the conference.
Temple was picked second in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll, finishing 13 points short of defending national champion Connecticut.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Quite some time has passed since the last time UVM met the Owls. The most recent contest between the sides came on Feb. 12, 1983, when the Catamounts welcomed Temple to Patrick Gymnasium for the UVM Invitational. Temple holds a 2-0 advantage in the series, having also taken a win from the Catamounts in January 1980 on the campus of UConn.
During head coach
Chris Day's tenure as an assistant coach at Penn (2013-16), the Quakers posted a 3-1 record against Temple.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Candice Wright's double-double on Wednesday was the first of her career and UVM's first of the 2016-17 season.
Hayley Robertson was the last Catamount to post a double-double, accomplishing the feat on Feb. 8, 2016 as the Toronto native pocketed 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against UMass Lowell. Three others were recorded at various stages throughout last season, including a pair by
Sydney Smith.
HERE'S THE POINT
After netting 12 points against NJIT last Friday night (Nov. 25), freshman
Hanna Crymble proceeded to bury 11 more in the Catamounts' tilt against Milwaukee on Nov. 26. It was the rookie's fourth consecutive game reaching double figures in scoring and fifth in Vermont's 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, 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 program 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
Catamount Classroom awaits UVM as the squad hosts Brown on Thursday, Dec. 8 for an 11:30 a.m. tilt at Patrick Gymnasium. Local grade schools are invited to attend for a full day of learning, fun and basketball!
