WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The No. 3 seed Vermont Catamounts (22-10, 12-4 AE) head to Maine (23-9, 14-2 AE) looking to defend the Jersey Mike's America East Championship on Friday March 15 at The Pit. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:03 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday's Championship matchup against the Black Bears will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Roy Philpott and Holly Warlick on the call. The game will also be available via ESPN+. 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
America East Championship Central
Game Notes: Vermont | Maine
CatamounTV Preview: Coach Kresge | Olson | Utterback
Watch Live: ESPN+ 
Listen on WVMT
Live Stats
 
QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINALS SUCCESS
Vermont earned a 54-41 victory in the Jersey Mike's America East quarterfinal over UMBC at Patrick Gym on Friday night. Emma Utterback led all-scorers in that victory with 21 points alongside four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Anna Olson registered a game-high eight rebounds to go with seven points and three assists. Keira Hanson was also in double figures for the Catamounts finishing with 10 points alongside two assists and a block. Three days later, Vermont earned a comeback 50-46 victory in the Jersey Mike's America East semifinal over UAlbany at Patrick Gym to send them to the Championship game. Bella Vito tied a season-high 10 points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds (season-high five offensive rebounds), two assists, and two steals. Vito was awarded the Jersey Mike's Sub Above Player of the Game for her performance. Hanson led all Catamounts with 13 points, making a game high three, three-pointers. Utterback (12) and Olson (11) both scored in double figures as well. Vermont successfully held their opponents to less than 50 points in each playoff game, the 13th time total this season, finishing 13-0 in those contests.  
 
PLAYOFF HISTORY WITH MAINE
The Catamounts are 4-7 all-time against the Black Bears in the America East Tournament. The teams have met seven times in the America East Championship game. The teams met in three straight title games from 1991-1993. The home team won each meeting with Maine winning in '91 and the Catamounts completing their undefeated seasons in '92 and '93 at Patrick Gym. From 1996-1998 the Black Bears defeated Vermont in three straight America East title games. In the 1999 Maine defeated UVM in the semifinals but in 2000 the Catamounts claimed their fourth league title with a 77-50 win. Maine is 5-0 against the Catamounts at home in tournament history, with their last win coming March 4, 2020, in a 78-66 quarterfinal win at the Cross Insurance Arena in Bangor. As a first year Emma Utterback had 15 points in that matchup.
 
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Utterback currently ranks seventh in program history with 1,731 points and has moved into third all-time with 501 assists in her career. Friday's game will be Utterback and Delaney Richason's 132 career game played at Vermont, which is the most in program history. Utterback also currently ranks ninth in career free throws with 274. She is also fourth all-time with 701 career field goals made. Richason has moved into 20th with 1,117 points scored in her career and 18th with 582 rebounds. Her 164 career three point field goals made is seventh all-time. Olson also ranks in the top 20 all-time in points scored at 16th with 1,196 points.
 
LOOKING TO REPEAT
The Catamounts gets the opportunity to win back-to-back America East Championships for the first time since 2008-09 and 2009-10 after compiling a 54-51 victory over No. 6 UMBC in the America East Quarterfinals and a 50-46 win over No. 2 UAlbany in the America East Semifinals. The Catamounts last two-peat came when the defeated Boston University, 74-66, in 2009 and Hartford, 55-50, in 2010. This will be the fourth time in Vermont Women's Basketball history that the Catamounts face off in the America East Championship game as the No. 3 seed, having a record of two wins and one loss, in those meetings. Vermont's first title win as the three-seed came in 1994, when they defeated Northeastern 53-51, and then again in 2009, when they beat BU 74-66.
 
NET RANKINGS
Maine currently leads America East with a NET Rating of 115, followed by the Catamounts (136) in second and UAlbany (159) in third who are all in the top 200, while Binghamton (230) is in fourth. Bryant (280), New Hampshire (297) and UMBC (298) are all within the top 300.
 
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
The Catamounts are second in the conference in blocked shots per game (3.9) and second in total blocks this season (125). Vermont is the only team in conference to have three players (Olson, Priede, and Richason) in the top ten in total blocked shots along with blocked shots per game. Vermont currently ranks second in the country allowing just 51.8 points per game. The Catamounts are also 73rd in the nation in blocked shots, 66th in field goal percentage defense (38.0) and 24th in three point percentage defense (27.4).
 
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
Maine enters Saturday's matchup with a 23-9 overall record and represent the No. 1 seed in the America East with a 14-2 conference record. The Black Bears are averaging 64.3 points per game on 40.0 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from three. Their points per game leads the America East while their +7.7-scoring margin is second in the conference. On the defensive end, the Black Bears are surrendering 56.6 points per game on 41.0 percent shooting from the floor and 30.3 percent shooting from three while registering 7.2 steals and 2.1 blocks per contest. Maine is led by graduate guard Anne Simon who also leads the America East in scoring at 18.9 per game. Simon leads the conference in 30+ point games with four this season alongside 7.4 rebound and 3.2 assists per game. Adrianna Smith is second on the team in scoring at 16.6 per game while leading the team and the conference in rebounding at 11.0 per contest. Smith also ranks fourth in the country in double-doubles and leads America East with 22.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
This will be the 104th meeting all-time between the Black Bears and the Catamounts, with Maine holding a 66-37 advantage in the series. The first time these two teams met was in 1975 where Vermont came away with a 75-71 victory. Last season, Vermont earned a season sweep of Maine, for the first time since the 2010 season. In both of those seasons, the Catamounts went on to make the NCAA Tournament. During their two matchups last season, Olson led the Catamounts averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 52.2 percent shooting. Utterback also had a strong season against the Black Bears averaging 14.0 points, 3.5 boards and 2.5 assists on 47.6 percent shooting in their two meetings. In their matchup earlier this season in Orono, ME, the Black Bears defeated the Catamounts 60-48, but Olson registered her 1,000th career point. Hanson scored a career-high 20 points in the loss connecting on six triples alongside two assists and one rebound. The longest winning streak for either team in the matchup is 12 games. Vermont won 12 straight from 2006 to 2011, while Maine earned 12 consecutive victories twice (1977 to 1985 and 1986 to 1991).
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The winner of the Jersey Mike's America East Championship game will earn the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament. The selection show for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament is scheduled for Sunday, March 17 at 8 p.m. on ESPN. 
 
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