WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (14-7, 6-1 AE) seeks to prolong their present winning streak as they hit the road to face top seed UAlbany (18-2, 7-0 AE) on Thursday (Feb. 1) at the Broadview Center in Albany, N.Y. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's matchup with the Great Danes will be broadcast live on
ESPN+. The international stream will also be available via AmericaEast.TV. Fans can listen to the game for free on the
Varsity Network App, from Learfield on WVMT, which will air on 96.3 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 620 AM around the rest of the region, with Ryan Zimmerman on the call.
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Preview: Coach Kresge | Utterback
Watch Live on ESPN+
International Stream
Listen on WVMT
Live Stats
AMERICA EAST WEEKLY AWARDS
Emma Utterback earned her second America East Weekly Award of the season after averaging 15.5 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in a perfect 2-0 week for the Catamounts. The award is the sixth honor of her career as she helped lead the Catamounts extend their winning streak to five games and improve to 6-1 in America East play.
AMONG THE BEST IN AMERICA EAST
The Catamounts are second in the conference in scoring defense allowing just 52.8 points per game, which is ranked seventh in the country. UVM is third in the conference in scoring margin at +5.4 per game. The Catamounts are second in field goal percentage (43.0) and second in opponent field goal percentage (38.0). Vermont is just one of three teams with two scorers in the top 10 in scoring in America East (joining Maine and Bryant). Utterback ranks tied for fifth in the conference averaging 15.4 points per game.
Anna Olson is ninth in the league in scoring at 11.4 points per game while leading the conference in shooting percentage at 57.1 percent per game. Olson is also ninth in rebounds per game at 6.1 per game. Utterback is eighth in the conference in shooting percentage at 44.9 percent per contest and is tied for the America East lead in assists per game at 4.5 per game, while leading the conference with a total of 95 assists on the season. Olson is sixth in the league in blocks per game at 0.9 and is tied for fifth in total blocks at 19 alongside
Delaney Richason who sits at seventh in blocks per contest at 0.9.
Nikola Priede is also seventh in the conference with a total of 18 blocks and 0.9 blocks per game. The Catamounts are the only team in the conference with three players in the top ten in blocked shots.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Catamounts rank in the top 100 in several important categories this season. Vermont is surrendering just 52.8 points per game which is seventh in the country while their blocks per game (3.8) is tied for 91st in the nation. On the offensive end, Vermont is ranked 18th nationally in turnovers per game at just 12.8, while their assist to turnover ratio (1.24) is 65th in the country. The Catamounts are also ranked 81st in the nation in field goal percentage defense at 37.9 percent per game. Vermont is also seventh in fouls per game with just 12.9 and are 42nd in three-point percentage defense at 27.6. Olson is 27th in field goal percentage on the season at 57.1 percent per contest.
NET RANKINGS
Maine currently leads America East with a NET Rating of 111, followed by UAlbany (118) in second and Vermont (152) in third, who are all in the top 200. Binghamton (276), New Hampshire (277), Bryant (286) and UMBC (300) are also all ranked in the top 300.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
Entering Thursday's matchup UAlbany is 18-2 overall and 7-0 in America East play. The Great Danes are averaging 54.0 points per game on 44.0 percent shooting from the field and 34.6 percent from long range. UAlbany is first in America East in field goal percentage (44.7) and 3-point percentage (39.3). On the defensive side of the ball, UAlbany is allowing 50.6 points per game, which is first in the nation, on 35.9 percent shooting from the floor and 25.8 percent from three. The Great Danes are averaging 3.5 blocks and 7.8 steals per contest. UAlbany is led by senior Kayla Cooper, who leads the Great Danes in scoring (16.0 per game) and rebounding (7.5 per game). Cooper also ranks second on the team in assists, having 46 total on the season, and first on the team in steals, having 32 total on the season. Graduate student Helene Haegerstrand is second on the team in scoring at 9.8 per contest and is third in rebounds per game at 3.7. Classmate Sarah Karpell leads the Great Danes with 65 total assists and 3.3 per contest.
INSIDE THE SERIES
This will be the 51st matchup all time between the Catamounts and the Great Danes, with UAlbany holding a 27-23 advantage. The first time these two teams met was in 2002 in Albany, Ney York where Vermont earned a 69-65 victory. The last time these two teams met was last season at Patrick Gymnasium in the America East Championship game where Vermont earned a 38-36 victory. In that game, Utterback led all players in scoring, earning herself 18 points to go along with six rebounds, one assist, one block, and two steals. Three Catamounts registered double digit rebounding numbers in that matchup, led by Olson who had 16, followed by Vito and Richason who each had 10. Vermont currently holds onto a two-game win streak against UAlbany, with their longest streak being nine games in a row, dating back to the first nine matchups played between the two teams.
WHAT'S NEXT
Following Thursday's matchup Vermont will stay on the road to face Binghamton on Saturday, February 3. Saturday's meeting with Binghamton is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with the international stream available via AmericaEast.TV. Fans can also listen to the game for free on the Varsity Network App, from Learfield on WVMT, which will air on 96.3 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 620 AM around the rest of the region, 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
