WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (1-3) will host the annual TD Bank Classic this weekend at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts will face Brown (2-4) at noon Saturday. The non-conference matchup can be heard on AM 620 WVMT with Cooper Boardman on the call. The action will also be streamed live on ESPN3.
Following the Catamounts matchup with the Bears, Bucknell (2-2) will face North Dakota (1-3) at 3 p.m. That game will also be broadcast live on ESPN3.
On Sunday the semifinal winners will square off in the TD Bank Championship while the other teams will play a consolation game. Regardless of the outcomes North Dakota will play at 11 a.m. on Saturday and the other game will be at 2 p.m. Both contests will air on ESPN3.
RELATED LINKS
Live Stats (All Games)
ESPN3 Links: Brown vs. Vermont | North Dakota vs. Bucknell
Tickets
BALANCED ATTACK THE EARLY STORYLINE FOR VERMONT
Through four games this season UVM is averaging 62.3 points-per game. Impressively seven Catamounts are averaging 7.3 or more points per contest right now.
Anna Olson leads the team in scoring with 13.5 points-per game. Against Navy in the Catamounts last contest she had a season-high 20 points for UVM.
CATAMOUNTS SEEKING SECOND HALF CONSISTENCY
In the early going this season the second half has been a tale of two distinct quarters for Vermont. The third quarter has been UVM's best this season with 71 points scored, an average of 17.8 per-quarter while the fourth quarter has been UVM's worst with 46 points scored, good for 11.5 points-per quarter.
The most points UVM has scored in a single quarter this season is 26. They hit 26 in the first and second quarter against Merrimack in their season-opener on November 9.
SCOUTING BROWN
The Bears are 2-4 this season but are coming off a 72-68 road win at Hartford on Tuesday evening. Sophomore forward Mya Murray led the way for the Bears with a career-high 21 points. She leads the Ivy League in shooting percentage (58.3%) and is tied for the league lead in blocked shots (14). The Bears triumph at Hartford was fueled by downtown shooting, Brown started the third quarter five-for-six from behind the arc. Ball control will be key for Brown, they're averaging 18.3 turnovers per-game and their opponents have scored 18.5 points off turnovers.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
The Bison are 2-2 this season and they have played exclusively on the road so far. Their losses came at Temple and at #17 Ohio State with their wins at FDU and Iona. Senior Taylor O'Brien leads the Bison offensive attack averaging 15.8 points per game which is fifth in the Patriot League. Dating back to last season she's scored in double figures in 11 consecutive games. She also leads Bucknell in rebounding (6.0 RPG) and assists (2.3 APG).
Bucknell is 5-0 over its last two Thanksgiving tournaments, most recently they defeated Howard and Cincinnati at the 2019 Puerto Rico Clasico. The Catamounts only matchup with the Bison came at the 1986 Pennsylvania Thanksgiving Classic. UVM dropped that contest 94-81 in what was the season opener for the Catamounts.
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA
The Fighting Hawks enter the tournament 1-3 on the campaign but are coming off an 89-85 home win over Montana State last Saturday. In that contest, junior guard Kacie Borowicz had 33 points and she went a perfect 20-for-20 from the free throw line. Senior guard Claire Orth is another name to watch for this weekend. She has had three or more steals in every game this season and ranks 16th in the NCAA averaging 3.5 per game. She's also second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points-per game.
COACH BRENNER RETURNS TO CATAMOUNT COUNTRY
First year Brown assistant coach Samantha Brenner will be returning to Catamount Country this weekend. Brenner played at UVM from 2012-2014 before completing her collegiate career at Adelphi from 2014-16. She played in 16 games as a first year and a sophomore for Vermont. She scored a career-high eight points for UVM against Wisconsin-Green Bay on November 23, 2013 in the TD Bank Classic Championship Game.
Prior to her appointment at Brown she has coached at Adelphi, Franklin Pierce and UT Permian Basin. As an Associate Head Coach at UT Permian Basin she helped the team tally its most Lone Star Conference wins in program history during the 2020-21 campaign.
TD BANK CLASSIC HISTORY
The TD Bank Classic has developed a reputation as one of the top in-season tournaments in women's basketball. In past years teams such as Tennessee, NC State, Auburn, Louisville, Vanderbilt and St. John's and coaches Pat Summitt and Kay Yow, have participated in the tournament. The TD Bank Classic also boasts 10 alumni who have gone on to play in the WNBA. The Catamounts have won the tournament title seven times, the last coming in 2011.
Rise to the Top is the presenting sponsor of Vermont women's basketball
