WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (6-5) kicks off conference play tomorrow night as they welcome Maine (3-7) to Patrick Gym for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. Fans can catch the action at 6 p.m. on ESPN+ or listen live with Cooper Boardman on the call on AM 620 WVMT.
 
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GILWEE AND RICHASON RECEIVE AMERICA EAST WEEKLY AWARDS
Junior forward Delaney Richason was named America East Player of the Week and first year guard Catherine Gilwee was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday.
 
Richason had a game-high 17 points in Vermont's 61-45 win in its regular season non-conference finale on December 21. The Catamounts won four of their last five non-conference games. Over that stretch Richason averaged 12.4 points-per game for Vermont. She was 9-for-17 from downtown in those games.

Gilwee, making her fourth career start, set a new career-high for the second straight game with 13 points. She made a career-high three shots from downtown in the win over Bryant. She is third on the team this season with 2.9 assists per game.
 
LARKINS LEADING AND APPROACHING MILESTONES
Graduate guard Josie Larkins, who leads the Catamounts in scoring with 11.9 points per game, is approaching some big career milestones. She needs four more three-pointers to tie Lori Taylor (1994-98) for second all-time in program history with 194 made three-pointers.
 
She also needs just 46 points to reach 1,000 in her Catamount career. She would be the 23rd player in program history to reach 1,000 points and the first to do so since Hanna Crymble '20 in 2018.
 
Larkins is 36th in the NCAA currently shooting 44.1% from behind the arc. She's made 30 three-pointers this year which is tied for 33rd in the NCAA.
 
FINISHING NON-CONFERENCE WITH AUTHORITY
Vermont closed out its non-conference schedule with a 4-1 mark over its last five games to finish. Vermont completed its non-conference schedule with a winning record (6-5) for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign. UVM has six non-conference wins this season matching the most by the program since the same 2009-10 season. Vermont has won six games three times in non-conference since then. Two of those three campaigns have come under Mayer Women's Basketball Coach Alisa Kresge – this season and the 2019-20 campaign.

LIMITING OPPONENTS TRIPS TO THE LINE
The Catamounts are averaging just 13.5 fouls-per game this season which is the 19th fewest in the NCAA. As a team in 11 games they have committed just 149 personal fouls. UVM committed a season-low eight fouls at Navy on November 20.
 
CATAMOUNTS IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
Vermont is 17-20 all-time in America East openers. Vermont has dropped its last three conference openers and has never lost four in a row. Twice the Catamounts have won four conference openers in a row (1990-94 & 2006-10). Vermont has faced Maine three times before in its league opener, defeating them twice. UVM's last win in the series with the Black Bears came in its conference opener in January of 2017.
 
SCOUTING MAINE
The Black Bears are 3-7 this season and have been off since defeating Dartmouth 65-53 at home on December 19. Maine erased a 19-point deficit in that contest, outscoring the Big Green 28-8 in the fourth quarter to clinch the win. Maine's offense has been uneven this season in five games they've failed to score more than 50 points.
 
Junior guard Anne Simon leads the team in scoring this season with 16.4 points-per game. She is second in the conference in scoring. She has been named the America East Player of the Week twice this season.
 
The top rebounder in America East is Maine graduate forward Maeve Carroll at 9.6 per game. She registered a double-double in all three matchups with the Catamounts during the 2019-20 campaign. She averaged 21.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in the three games against Vermont that season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday night will be the 91st meeting between the Catamounts and Black Bears. Maine has won each of the last eight games, and leads the all-time series 57-33. Vermont's last win in the series came on January 4, 2017, a 55-52 decision at Patrick Gym in the Catamounts conference opener that season.
 
Rise to the Top is the presenting sponsor of Vermont women's basketball