FINAL SCORE: Vermont 70, Sacred Heart 64
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Graduate guard Emma Utterback had 22 points and nine assists Wednesday afternoon leading the Catamounts (8-5) to their 16th straight home win at Patrick Gym 70-64 over Sacred Heart (5-8) in non-conference action.

RELATED LINKS
Box Score
CatamounTV Highlights
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Offensively we didn't settle, we took really good shots," Mayer Women's Basketball Head Coach Alisa Kresge said. "42 points in the paint, that means there's a lot of good looks. It felt good that our offense is starting to figure out how to put more points on the board. Now we just got to tie-in both sides of the ball."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts started hot in the first quarter building a 14-4 edge behind a 10-0 run over 2:49 of game action. Utterback had six points in the Catamounts run. Sacred Heart battled back behind eight points from Ny'Ceara Pryor to make it 18-15 for UVM at the end of the first quarter.
• Utterback continued her strong play in the second frame. She scored eight straight points for the Catamounts as they built their lead back up to eight at 29-21. With seven seconds left in the half she drove and finished at the rim to give the Catamounts a seven-point edge at the break.
• The Pioneers went on a 7-0 run in the third quarter fueled by four points from Pryor, all from the free throw line and a three-pointer from Sajada Bonner. The Sacred Heart rally cut the lead to two at 37-35 with 6:34 to play. The teams traded buckets down the stretch and UVM took a four-point edge into the fourth quarter.
• The Catamounts started the final frame on a 5-0 run to start. The fourth quarter was Anna Olson's as she took control for Vermont. She had 10 points in the fourth quarter including a layup with 5:06 to play that made it 59-50.
• A late run by the Pioneers cut the lead to six with 1:11 to play. On the ensuing possession with the shot clock running down Utterback found Andjela Matic in the corner for a dagger three-pointer that secured the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts shot 72.7% from the field in the second quarter, making eight of the 11 shots they took.
• Vermont led for 38:13 of game action this afternoon.
• Emma Utterback had nine assists for the second straight contest this afternoon.
• The Catamounts matched a season-high with 30 made field goals this afternoon, their 61.2 FG% was tops this year.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to King Street Center as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since its inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $80,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.  

WHAT'S NEXT
The Catamounts will continue their four-game homestand Friday, December 29 at 1 p.m. as they host Princeton from Patrick Gymnasium. The 29th will be the Catamounts' "Ugly Sweater Game." You can Purchase four Vermont vs. Princeton General Admission tickets for only $24 when using online promo code "2024" at checkout. We will also be giving away team swag – including a black Nike game jersey, a team autographed jersey, America East hoody, pair of "802" game shorts & more. All fans will receive a raffle ticket when they arrive, fans wearing an "Ugly Sweater" will receive a second ticket to double their chances of winning!


The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. Fans can also listen to the game through the radio broadcast via the Varsity Network App with the voice of Catamounts women's basketball, Ryan Zimmerman, on the call.

Vermont Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont Women's Basketball