BALTIMORE – For the third straight game junior guard Emma Utterback led the way for the Catamounts with 20 points in Vermont's wire-to-wire 59-47 win at UMBC Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Catamounts improved to 11-5 in conference play, their most wins in league play since 2010.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score (.pdf)
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"It is always hard to win on the road, I am proud of our team's fight down the stretch," Mayer Women's Basketball Coach Alisa Kresge said. "We were able to finish the game with multiple double-digit scorers and shot 90% from the FT line. This was a good win to get us geared up for our final week of regular season play."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Utterback scored the first four points of the game as UVM jumped out to an early lead. A pair of Aryana Dizon free throws tied things up at eight in a very low-scoring opening 10 minutes.
• UVM used a 9-2 run over 2:13 of game action to take control in the first three minutes of the second quarter. Josie Larkins had five points over that stretch for Vermont. Utterback knocked down a jumper with five seconds left in the half to give Vermont an eight-point advantage at the break.
• In the third quarter Utterback and Larkins each had six points as Vermont kept its lead through a back and forth even quarter. The Retrievers outscored UVM 17-16 in the third quarter.
• In the fourth quarter UMBC cut Vermont's lead to five three times. With just over four minutes to play it was 47-42 Vermont with UMBC looking to cut into the lead even more. Utterback stepped in front of a Keelah Dixon pass and took it all the way to the house for final basket of the game. It gave UVM a seven-point edge.
• Down the stretch Vermont hit all eight of their free throw attempts to clinch the season-sweep over UMBC.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts have won six of their last seven games in those seven games Emma Utterback is averaging 14.4 points per game. Utterback led all players this afternoon with five assists.
• Vermont outscored UMBC 34-16 in the paint.
• The Catamounts blocked seven shots this afternoon, Sarah Wells had three of them for Vermont.
• With today's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to COTS, the Committee on Temporary Shelter, as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont returns home on Wednesday, February 23 for Senior Night presented by the UVM Alumni Association. The Catamounts will host Binghamton at 6 p.m. in their final regular season home game. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen live on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College on WVMT with Cooper Boardman on the call.

Rise to the Top is the presenting sponsor of Vermont women's basketball