HAMDEN, CONN. – Emma Utterback scored a season-high 22 points to lead Vermont to a 58-53 victory over Quinnipiac at M&T Bank Arena on Friday night. With the victory, the Catamounts improved to 2-1 on the season while with the loss the Bobcats fell to 1-2.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score | Box Score (.pdf)
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Today was a really gritty win against a tough team on their home court," said Mayer Head Women's Basketball Coach Alisa Kresge. "I thought our defense was a big key to today's win. It was nice to see some perimeter shots go down."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Paige Girardi started the scoring on the Bobcats first possession with a layup on a back-door feed from Anna Foley.
• Vermont went on a 7-1 run over the next 3:14 to seize a 7-3 lead with 6:16 remaining before Jackie Grisdale knocked down a three for the Bobcats to close the lead to 7-6 with 6:04 left in the first quarter.
• The two teams battled back-and-forth over the last six plus minutes of the first quarter with Vermont taking a 13-9 lead into the first break.
• To start the second quarter the Bobcats doubled-up the Catamounts 10-5 over the first 4:10 of the quarter to regain the lead, 19-18.
• Over the final six minutes of the first half the two teams battled to a 9-9 draw with Quinnipiac taking a 28-27 lead into the halftime break. Anna Olson led the Catamounts with four points while Delaney Richason knocked down a big three and Bella Vito scored two points for Vermont. On the other side, Grisdale knocked down a three and Foley led the way with four points.
• The Catamounts came out with a strong defensive effort in the third quarter to seize a 40-37 lead heading into the final stanza. During the third quarter Olson scored five for the Catamounts including a critical and-one with 6:45 remaining to give Vermont back the lead, 34-31. Utterback also scored four points for Vermont during the third quarter.
• Grace LaBarge knocked down a three for the Bobcats on their first possession of the fourth quarter to tie the score at 40-40.
• Utterback then engineered a 10-0 Catamount run to seize a 50-40 lead, one they would never look back from. Utterback started the run with a layup and then on the next possession hit Olson for a three at the top of the key before knocking down a three of her own two possessions later to force a Bobcat timeout with 7:17 remaining.
• The Bobcats continued to throw pressure at the Catamounts over the final seven minutes and outscored Vermont 13-8, but UVM was able to knock down their free throws and seal a 58-53 victory on the road.

 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Utterback's season high 22 points came on 52.6 percent shooting (10-19) while also chipping in a team-high five assists.
• Olson was second on the team with 14 points and was also second on the team and in the game with eight rebounds. Olson connected on 66.7 percent of her shots (6-9).
• Vito also recorded eight rebounds, including a game-high four offensive boards for the Catamounts.
• Malia Lenz secured a career-high six rebounds to go with two assists and one steal.
• Vermont shot 44.6 percent from the field and held Quinnipiac to 41.6 percent from the field and just 20.0 percent from beyond the arc.
• Vermont outrebounded Quinnipiac 33-27 and forced 13 turnovers.

 
WHO'S NEXT 
Following Friday's matchup with Quinnipiac the Catamounts will return to Patrick Gymnasium for a lone home game against Saint Rose on Sunday (Nov. 19). The start time for that game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Bernie Cieplicki and Rob Ryan on the call. Fans can listen to the game 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. 
 
FALL PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE
To access the promotional schedule for all remaining fall games, please click here. Don't miss out on ticket deals, game-day activities, and giveaways!
 
Vermont Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont Women's Basketball