WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The Catamounts return to action this weekend when they host the Northeastern Huskies on Sunday afternoon at Patrick Gym. The 2 p.m. tilt is UVM's second-to-last home game of the 2017 calendar year before the Catamounts host Central Connecticut State University on Thursday morning.  

Sunday marks the first time that the women's basketball team plays a home game since the Patrick Gym court was named after longtime men's basketball head coach, Tom Brennan. 
  
Sundays' game against Northeastern airs online on ESPN3, with Alastair Ingram on play-by-play joined courtside by former UVM men's basketball player, Bernie Cieplicki. An audio broadcast is also available on CatamounTV.com and News/Talk 620 WVMT-AM. Pregame coverage with Logan Ratick starts at 1:40 p.m., with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
 
RELATED LINKS
Video | Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
The most recent contest resulted in a 64-53 loss at the College of the Holy Cross on Dec. 9, on a snowy afternoon in Worcester, Massachusetts. UVM held a two-point lead at halftime but was outscored by 13 points in the second half.
 
Cassidy Derda led all Catamounts with 17 points (5-7 3PT) and seven rebounds. Katie Lavelle dished out eight assists without committing a turnover. Hanna Crymble scored 12 points and Kristina White added 11 points with six rebounds, but that was not enough to top the Crusaders. UVM has dropped six consecutive games, including four at Patrick Gym.
 
Against Holy Cross, Vermont shot 36% from the field, 32% from three-point range and 67% from the free throw line as a team.
 
Vermont has lost each of its last four games by double-digits. The Catamounts only wins this season have come against Norwich (Nov. 17) and Howard (Nov. 19). Freshman guard Josie Larkins has started four consecutive games for the Catamounts and is averaging six points per contest through her first 10 games. 
 
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
Kelly Cole is in her fourth season as head coach of Northeastern. It is her first collegiate head coaching job. She played collegiately for Northwestern and was the team captain for two seasons, graduating in 1991.
 
Between 1991 and 1996, Cole served as head coach of the Newburg High School (Newburg, Oregon) girls' basketball team. She returned to Northwestern as an assistant for two seasons before nine seasons on the Boston College staff, another stint as a high school head coach (this time in the Boston area) and finally, two seasons at Harvard before landing the Northeastern job.
 
Last season, Cole's Huskies went 12-19 overall and 8-10 in CAA play. This season, Northeastern is 3-5 to begin this season, including a 1-2 record on the road.
 
Northeastern has dropped three straight games, two at home (Houston and Harvard) and one on the road (New Hampshire). The Huskies opened the season with a tough 74-73 loss at crosstown foe Boston University on Nov. 10. Vermont is Northeastern's second and final America East opponent in the 2017-18 regular season.
 
The five Huskies with the most minutes played this season are all averaging double figures in scoring: Jess Genco (13.9 PPG), Claudia Ortiz (13.8), Gabby Giacone (13.7), Stella Clark (13.1) and Shannon Todd (12.4)
 
Clark is a freshman averaging over 30 minutes per game with two starts. Ortiz is the only senior in the starting lineup. As a team, Northeastern is averaging just under 70 points per game.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Northeastern owns a 31-24 all-time advantage against Vermont. UVM lost the first ever meeting in Boston on Jan. 31, 1980. The Huskies were members of the America East between 1979-2005. During that span, these two teams would play two or three times per season.
 
UVM lost the last meeting 78-62 in Boston on Dec. 1, 2011. Vermont also lost the last meeting in Burlington by a 55-46 score on Dec. 6, 2010.
 
HISTORY BEFORE OUR EYES
Candice Wright's five blocked shots against Rider on Friday, Dec. 1 placed her in sole possession for first-all time in career blocks by a Catamount. The junior broke Katie McNamara's ('05) record of 102 blocked shots on her first rejection of the contest. Wright has recorded five blocks over the last two games and now has 112 blocks for her career.
  
DIALING FROM LONG DISTANCE
As a team, Vermont is shooting 27% from downtown and averaging just over seven made three-pointers per game. Out of UVM's 570 field goal attempts through the first ten games of the regular season, just over 45% have come from behind the three-point line. Individually, the most proficient three-point shooting Catamounts have been Cassidy Derda (38%), Hanna Crymble (31%) and Josie Larkins (28%).
  
NEXT UP
Vermont returns to action on Tom Brennan Court at Patrick Gym to host Central Connecticut State University on Thursday, Dec. 21. Local students will be on hand for Catamount Classroom Presented By Vermont Student Assistance Corporation for an 11 a.m. tip-off. It is the final home game until Jan 3., 2018 when the Catamounts host UMass Lowell to begin America East play.
 
ESPN3 handles the video coverage with Alastair Ingram and Bernie Cieplick on the call. On the radio broadcast, Logan Ratick handles the pregame coverage for the Catamounts battle with the Huskies starting at 1:40 p.m., followed by the game at 2 p.m. on CatamounTV.com and News/Talk 620 WVMT-AM. 
 
Fans can purchase tickets for Thursday's (Dec. 21) home game against Central Connecticut by visiting UVMathletics.com/Tickets. Additionally, tickets can be acquired by calling the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at (802) 656-4410 or by visiting the office, located on the balcony of the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby. On game days, tickets can be purchased beginning one hour before tip-off in the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby.
 
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