WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
With the second half of America East play now on deck, the Vermont women's basketball team tips off the back portion right where it started the conference docket–a Wednesday night (Feb. 1) matchup with the Maine Black Bears. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.
 
As always, Tyler Terens will handle play-by-play on WVMT 620-AM as well as online through Catamounts All-Access. The game will also be available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Bryan Stackpole (PxP) and Sandy Thomas (color) on the call. Live stats will be available via SIDEARM Stats.
 
RELATED LINKS
Video | Audio | Live Stats
Vermont Notes (.pdf) | Maine Notes (.pdf)
 
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CATAMOUNTS RECAP
Sydney Smith had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and three other Catamounts had at least nine points as Vermont topped Stony Brook 53-43 at Patrick Gymnasium last Saturday (Jan. 28).
 
Candice Wright led all scorers with 15 points in addition to three blocks. She now has registered a total of 80 blocks in her career, passing Lauren Buschmann for ninth place all-time in program history. Buschmann logged 78 with the Catamounts from 2009-13.
 
Vermont never trailed in the second half despite a strong effort by the Seawolves to narrow UVM's lead to only one multiple times. A second chance opportunity highlighted the third quarter for UVM, beginning with a missed attempt from downtown by Smith. Kylie Butler came down with the offensive board and later set up Hanna Crymble to draw a blocking foul. Sixteen seconds later, she drained a layup to give the Catamounts a 33-30 lead. A total of six charity stripe points in the last two minutes by Wright (5) and Hayley Robertson sealed the win for Vermont.
 
SCOUTING MAINE
The Black Bears (11-12, 4-4 AE) begin the week with UMBC in a tie for fifth place in America East. The group is coming off of a closely-contested 58-52 setback at Binghamton on Saturday (Jan. 28) in a game that had 14 ties and 17 lead changes. Sigi Koizar had a team-high 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and Laia Sole had six rebounds.
 
On paper, Maine sits sixth in the conference in scoring offense and third in scoring defense, averaging exactly as many points per game as it surrenders (58.6). With that in mind, an interesting statistical matchup will take place as Maine's field goal percentage of 40.6 will go up against the Catamounts' conference-leading field goal percentage defense of just 35.8.
 
Koizar, a senior from Austria, boasts 13.1 points per game to lead the team to go with nearly three assists nightly. Blanca Millan stands out with 1.8 steals per game, while Tanesha Sutton guides efforts on the glass with just under five boards day-to-day.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Maine leads the all-time series with the Catamounts by a 51-34 margin, however UVM most recently used a 55-52 victory on Jan. 4 to end a seven-game losing streak against the Black Bears. Thus, Vermont on Wednesday has the opportunity to sweep the regular season series for the first time since 2009-10. That year, the Catamounts captured their second consecutive America East Championship and went on to upset seventh-seeded Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament First Round.
 
Between 1998 and 2010 the Green and Gold captured 10 wins in 13 tries in the Pine Tree State, being outlasted by the Black Bears only in 1999, 2003 and 2005. The Catamounts also topped Maine in the lone game not played on either campus, taking a 70-57 decision at Binghamton in March 2007 to advance to the America East Quarterfinals. That result was part of a 12-game winning streak that ran from 2006-11.
 
CATS CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK
As a junior, Sydney Smith has etched her name in the record book by virtue of sinking 150 career 3-point field goals. She entered the season 10th all-time with a total of 122 between her freshman and sophomore campaigns in Burlington and now sits fifth in the category. Former Catamount Kayla Burchill (2011-15) ranks fourth with 170 makes from downtown.
 
ALL THE 'WRIGHT' REASONS
In addition to Smith, sophomore Candice Wright continues to leave a mark in the record book, registering 80 blocks in less than two seasons and sitting ninth all-time in that category. As a freshman last year, Wright logged 50 blocks, setting a single-season program record.
 
Although she is one of 11 other Catamounts to swat at least 74 attempts from the field, Wright holds the distinction of being the fastest Catamount in program history to reach that point, needing just 44 games to eclipse the mark.
 
CRYMBLE SNAGS AMERICA EAST WEEKLY HONOR
Following her combined 60 percent shooting performance against New Hampshire (Jan. 16) and at UMass Lowell (Jan. 19), freshman Hanna Crymble was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday, Jan. 23.
 
She averaged 19.5 points over the week as Vermont fell just short in a comeback effort against UNH before registering 10 rebounds and a career-high 24 points in a win at UMass Lowell. Crymble drilled 10 of her points on the night during a 19-0 third quarter run by the Catamounts.
 
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
In Vermont's January 4 win over Maine, UVM allowed just three second quarter points, representing a tie for the fewest allowed by the team in a single 10-minute period. In a Feb. 28, 2016 victory over Stony Brook, UVM surrendered just three points in the fourth quarter in preserving a 44-37 victory over the Seawolves at Patrick Gymnasium.
 
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 hosts Hartford on Saturday (Feb. 4) in a 2 p.m. game at Patrick Gymnasium. That game will be played in conjunction with UVM's annual Pack The House Challenge as well as the Rally Against Cancer series presented by Otter Creek Awnings and Vermont Custom Closets.
 
For additional information on Pack The House and Rally Against Cancer, click here.
 
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