FINAL SCORE: Vermont 54, UMBC 41
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The No. 3 Catamounts came out victorious against the six-seed UMBC Retrievers in the Jersey Mike's America East Quarterfinals on Friday evening by a score of 54-41. With the win, Vermont prepares to face UAlbany, on the road, on Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m. That game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with the international stream available via AmericaEast.TV.  
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score | Box Score (.pdf)
CatamounTV Highlights
Photo Gallery
Postgame: Utterback | Richason | Coach Kresge
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"I think what has gotten us to this situation has been our defense and that was really what won us the game today, which led to a good offense, especially when our offense wasn't flowing great at times," said Mayer Head Women's Basketball Coach Alisa Kresge. "Just really proud of staying true to who we are and finding tough stops and tough plays on defense to create good offense for us."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Keira Hanson got scoring started for the Catamounts with a sidestep jump shot from the corner, just outside the paint, to give Vermont the first lead of the game, 2-0.
• Following the opening basket, both teams battled back and forth, going on a 9-9 scoring run before the first commercial timeout, as Vermont led, 11-9, with 3:47 remaining in the opening quarter.
• Emma Utterback opened scoring out of the first timeout after making her pull up jump shot to put the Catamounts ahead, 13-9. Nikola Priede concluded scoring in the first quarter with a made free throw. Vermont entered the second frame leading 14-9.
• Andjela Matic kicked off the second quarter with a made floating jump shot on the Catamounts first offensive possession followed by Anna Olson scoring her first two points with a made layup attempt to force a UMBC timeout while leading, 18-9, with 8:18 left in the first half.
• A persistent full court press from UMBC caused the Catamounts to force uncharacteristic turnovers down the stretch of the second quarter, resulting in six straight points scored by the Retrievers to cut the lead to 20-15.  
• Vermont bounced back to finish the first half on a 6-0 scoring run of their own, heading into halftime with a 26-15 advantage. Bella Vito, Delaney Richason, and Matic all contributed two points in the final minutes of the second quarter to put Vermont back ahead by double digits.
• Utterback got the first basket of the third quarter after swishing her mid-range jump shot to give Vermont a 28-15 edge.
• UMBC responded with an 8-4 scoring run before the first commercial timeout of the quarter to cut the lead to single digits, 32-23.
• The Catamounts wrapped up the third frame with a 7-5 scoring run highlighted by baskets from Olson, Utterback, and Hanson to give Vermont a 39-28 lead heading into the final quarter.
• Utterback ignited the Patrick Gym crowd with 3:37 remaining of gametime, forcing UMBC to call another timeout after executing a successful layup attempt, avoiding traffic and earning the Catamounts a 50-37 lead. Utterback had seven of Vermont's first 11 points in the final quarter.
• Hanson and Utterback concluded scoring for the Catamounts with two points each as the clock expired, giving Vermont the 54-41 win over UMBC in the Jersey Mike's America East Playoff Quarterfinals.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• In her 100th career game in a Catamounts uniform, Olson had a game-high eight rebounds to go along with seven points, a game-high three assists, and one block.
• Utterback earned a game-high 21 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the floor while tallying four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
• Hanson found double digit scoring, earning 10 total points while registering one rebound, two assists, and one block.
• The Catamounts registered five total blocks while UMBC recorded zero.
• UVM shot better from the floor, shooting 48.9% (23-of-47) while UMBC shot 33.3% (15-of-45).
• Vermont never trailed for a single second of the game, leading for 39:19 total minutes.
• UVM earned more points in the paint, scoring 30 to the Retriever's 26.

UP NEXT
After their quarterfinal victory, the Catamounts prepare to face second-seed UAlbany on the road in the Jersey Mike's America East Playoff Semifinals on Monday, March 11. The start time for the game is slated for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Ryan Zimmerman, the voice of the Catamounts women's basketball team, will have the radio call on WVMT.

Vermont Women's Basketball fans wishing to attend Monday's semifinal at UAlbany can purchase tickets directly through this link: BUY NOW. The Catamount sections will be in the gold level section of 102 or in the purple or gold levels of sections 110 or 111.

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