WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The three-seed Vermont Catamounts (19-10, 13-5) will host the first women's basketball conference postseason game at Patrick Gym since 2001 Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The Catamounts will welcome the six-seed Binghamton Bearcats (9-19, 5-13). Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets. Kids 12 and under in a basketball jersey will receive free admission.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. Fans can listen for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield on The Game, which will air on 97.1 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 960 AM around the rest of the region. Please note the game will be on The Game instead of WVMT. The radio broadcast is also available via the Varsity Network App with Cooper Boardman on the call.  

RELATED LINKS
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America East Playoffs Central
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CatamounTV Preview: Coach Kresge | Gilwee | Utterback
 
GILWEE NAMED AMERICA EAST ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Vermont claimed the America East Rookie of the Year for the second straight season with Shelburne, Vt. native Catherine Gilwee earning the accolade. It is just the third time in America East history a team has won the honor two years in a row. Gilwee started 21 games in her first collegiate season for the Catamounts. In America East play she's averaged 2.7 assists per game, which ranks 10th in the league. She was the top first year in the category. Gilwee has averaged 28.4 minutes per game this season. She scored a career-high 15 points in both of the Catamounts contests with Stony Brook. She is the fifth Catamount to earn Rookie of the Year and the second from the state of Vermont. Gilwee was also named to the America East All-Rookie Team.
 
UTTERBACK UNSTOPPABLE DOWN THE STRETCH
Junior guard Emma Utterback has been unstoppable for the Catamounts down the stretch in America East play. In the last six games of league play she's averaged 18.8 points per game. In the regular season finale, she picked up a career-high 25 points in a win at UMass Lowell. She was also named the America East Player of the Week twice in a row to close out the regular season. On Thursday, she was named First Team All-Conference for the first time in her career.
 
THREE STARTERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Three of Vermont's four starters who have started every game this season – Emma Utterback (13.2 PPG), Josie Larkins (11.6 PPG) and Anna Olson (12.0 PPG) are leading the Catamounts all scoring in double figures. All three of them play an average of 30.4 minutes or more per game. One of the three of them has led UVM in scoring in 26 of its 29 games this season and each of the last 13 games. All three earned All-Conference honors, Utterback was named to the first team, Olson the second team and Larkins the third team.
 
RICHASON A BIG INDICATOR FOR SUCCESS
UVM is now 14-1 this season when junior forward Delaney Richason reaches double figures in scoring. Richason posted a career-high 19 points in the Catamounts regular season finale a 64-44 win over UMass Lowell.
 
LARKINS HAVING A CAREER-YEAR FROM DOWNTOWN
Larkins is tied for 24th in the NCAA with 73 made three-pointers this season. Her 73 made triples are a new single-season record at Vermont. She is shooting 39.9 percent from downtown which is 43rd in the country. She has made 233 career three-pointers which ranks second all-time at UVM. In games where Larkins hits three or more three-pointers in a game UVM is 10-2 this season.
 
ALL STARTS ON THE DEFENSIVE END
UVM is second in America East and 11th in the NCAA on the defensive end this season giving up 53.6 points per game. In the Catamounts 19 wins this year they've given up just 48.2 points per game. Vermont is also second in America East averaging 4.3 blocked shots per game.
 
CATAMOUNTS BACK TO THEIR WINNING WAYS
Vermont reached 19 regular season wins for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign. UVM also had 13 conference wins which is their best conference mark since the same season.
 
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats enter the America East Playoffs having won four of their last five contests. Their only setback was to Vermont on February 23. Binghamton is led offensively by a pair of juniors Denai Bowman and Birna Benonysdottir. Both are tied for second in America East in scoring with 14.5 points per game. Both of them put up 22 points against Vermont on February 23. Bowman was a First Team All-Conference selection and All-Defensive Team member for the second year in a row.
 
Binghamton has the number two ranked three-point field goal defense in the NCAA this season. Teams are shooting just 23.3 percent from downtown against the Bearcats. The Bearcats held UVM to just two made three-pointers in their first matchup. It remains the only league contest Josie Larkins didn't hit a three in. At Patrick Gym on February 23 UVM hit five three-pointers, all by Larkins, and shot 25 percent from downtown.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Vermont leads the all-time series with Binghamton 24-17. The two teams have met twice in the last 24 days. The Catamounts won both times, at Binghamton it was a 47-34 decision and in Burlington on Senior Day it was a 65-60 win.
 
Saturday will be the third time these two teams have played in the America East Tournament. UVM defeated the Bearcats in the 2003 and 2005 quarterfinals.
 
AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Vermont is 35-25 all-time in the America East tournament. They have advanced to 19 semifinals, 11 America East title games, and won the championship six times. The Catamounts last title came in 2010 in a 55-50 win over Hartford. Vermont's last win in the America East tournament was March 8, 2013 in a 47-43 decision over UMBC.
 
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