WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
A busy stretch begins on Wednesday (Jan. 11) for the Vermont women's basketball team as the Catamounts play their first of four games in nine days. UVM welcomes conference rival Binghamton to Patrick Gymnasium for the evening rendezvous, which tips off at 7 p.m.
 
Fans unable to make it to the game can watch live and free of charge through AmericaEast.TV as Tyler Terens calls the midweek action. The tilt will also be available on WVMT 620-AM as well as on Catamounts All-Access. Live stats will be provided through SIDEARM Stats.
 
RELATED LINKS
Video | Audio | Live Stats | Tickets
Vermont Notes (.pdf) | Binghamton Notes (.pdf)
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
UVM was most recently in action this past Saturday (Jan. 7), being dealt a setback at the hands of Hartford. Although Vermont's reserves complemented Sydney Smith's 16 points with 19 of its own, the Hawks forced eight turnovers in the third quarter and netted 15 points as a result to put the game out of reach. Kallie Banker was the Catamounts' leading rebounder for the second time this season, pulling down six boards.
 
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats (7-8, 2-0 AE) last saw the floor on Saturday (Jan. 7), taking a 58-48 win home from UMass Lowell. Imani Watkins paced her team over 39 minutes with 19 points to go with seven rebounds, while Alyssa James added three blocks in the effort. Binghamton's opponents are averaging 61.7 points per game, falling just short of the Bearcats' 64.1 figure.
 
Watkins has emerged as the top scorer in America East at this juncture of the season, netting 18.7 points per game, which nearly matches the combined efforts of teammates Jasmine Sina (11.7 ppg) and James (10.4 ppg). The squad also has been known to pull up from behind the 3-point line, averaging 8.2 treys made per game to stand atop the conference. Defensively, the squad has a reputation for taking the ball away with an average of 9.6 steals.
 
The 2016-17 season marks the third in Upstate New York for head coach Linda Cimino, a 2001 graduate of Adelphi University. The 2016 America East Coach of the Year helped the Bearcats finish in a three-way tie for third place in the conference last season after being picked last in the preseason poll.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont leads the all-time series with the Bearcats by a 20-11 margin and has won five of the last eight matchups between the sides. Binghamton, which entered Division I and the America East Conference in 2001-02, enjoyed a pair of victories in the regular season series last year after UVM grabbed a 72-66 win at home on Feb. 7, 2015. Then-freshman Sydney Smith had a team-high 21 points that afternoon to complement senior Niki Taylor's 11 rebounds.
 
MAINE LEFTOVERS
In addition to picking up its first victory in a conference opener since 2013-14, Vermont snapped a seven-game losing streak against Maine as a result of last Wednesday's decision (Jan. 4).
 
The Black Bears' three second quarter points represent a tie for the fewest points allowed by the Catamounts in a single 10-minute period. In a Feb. 28, 2016 win over Stony Brook, UVM surrendered just three points in the fourth quarter in preserving a 44-37 victory over the Seawolves at Patrick Gymnasium. The NCAA adopted the four 10-minute quarter format prior to the 2015-16 season.
 
Prior to Maine, UVM's last conference-opening win came on Dec. 1, 2013 in a 95-82 decision against UMass Lowell in part behind 18 points from Kylie Butler. UVM previously defeated Maine on Jan. 23, 2013, helped by Annie Wheeler's 14 points off the bench in a 61-53 topping.
 
ALL THE 'WRIGHT' REASONS
Candice Wright's 11-point night in last Wednesday's win over the Black Bears marked the sophomore's sixth double-figure game of the season. The Cambridge, Ontario native has also been a force on the glass for the Catamounts, pulling down 5.8 rebounds nightly to put her just short of Hanna Crymble's team-high 5.9 boards.
 
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
The Catamounts face a quick turnaround with their next two matchups, traveling to Baltimore for a Saturday afternoon (Jan. 14) tilt at UMBC before heading back home to meet New Hampshire on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 16). Both games are scheduled for 1 p.m.

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