WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The Catamounts (25-11, 12-4 AE) will host Saint Louis (20-18, 8-9 A-10) at Patrick Gym in the program's first ever WNIT Fab 4 appearance on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Ryan Zimmerman, the voice of Catamounts women's basketball will have the radio call on WVMT.
 
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Preview: Coach Kresge | Utterback | Vito 
Game Notes: Vermont | Saint Louis
WNIT Central
WNIT Bracket
Watch Live: ESPN+ | AmericaEast.TV (Int'l)
Listen on WVMT
Live Stats
Purchase Tickets
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the semifinal showdown went on-sale Tuesday afternoon. Visit go.uvm.edu/fab4 to purchase your tickets for Wednesday's Fab 4 matchup with the Billikens.
 
SHUTTLE BUSES WEDNESDAY FROM JEFFORDS LOT
Due to the anticipated crowd size at Patrick Gym and the Vermont Green U.S. Open Cup match at 7 p.m. from Virtue Field UVM Athletics and UVM Transportation and Parking Services is offering free shuttle bus rides from the Jeffords Lots adjacent to Jeffords Hall (63 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405). Buses will begin running at 5 p.m. from the Jeffords Lot to the front of Patrick Gym. Buses will run until approximately 9 p.m.
 
MAKING A WNIT RUN
The Catamounts have improved to 3-0 in the 2024 WNIT Postseason and have advanced to their first ever WNIT Fab 4. This will be the Catamounts sixth time hosting a WNIT matchup at Patrick Gym, having gone 5-0 in the previous meetings. In the 2024 WNIT Postseason, Vermont is 2-0 at home having defeated Niagara (69-63) and Colgate (65-55) and are 1-0 on the road, having earned their first Big Ten victory in 14 seasons, against Purdue 67-59 in the Great Eight. Throughout their three games in the WNIT Vermont is outscoring their opponents 67-59 and are shooting 48.7 percent from the floor while holding their opponents to just 36.4 percent shooting. The Catamounts are also connecting on 35.3 percent of their three pointers while stifling their opponents at just 25.7 percent per contest. UVM has five players averaging 9.0 points per game or more led by 16.3 from Emma Utterback. Utterback is also averaging a team-high 3.7 assists per game while connecting on 41.3 percent of her shots. Keira Hanson is second on the team averaging 13.3 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 38.5 percent from three alongside 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Bella Vito has averaged 9.3 points and 8.0 rebounds on 73.3 percent shooting from the floor in the WNIT.
 
BALANCED ATTACK
Vermont has five players averaging at least 7.0 points per game and have five players shooting at least 40.0 percent from the floor. Utterback leads Vermont with 14.4 points per game while Anna Olson is second averaging 11.8 points per contest. Utterback also leads the Catamounts with eight 20 point games this season, while Olson is second with five and Hanson has chipped in one as well. Olson also leads the Catamounts and America East at 56.9 percent shooting from the floor while Nikola Priede is also shooting over 50 percent at 53.4 percent per game. Matic leads the Catamounts in three-point shooting at 47.4 percent while connecting on 46 of her threes, while Hanson leads the team with 50 made threes. Vermont is just one of 32 teams in the country with three career 1,000 point scorers on their active roster. Vermont also leads America East and is in the top 50 nationally in field goal percentage.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Catamounts have been stout on defense this season ranking second nationally in points per game allowed (52.7), 21st in three-point percentage defense (27.3%), 61st in field goal percent defense (38.1%), 12th in fouls per game (13.1) and are 72nd with 3.9 blocks per game. On the offensive side, Vermont ranks 63rd in assist to turnover ratio (1.07), 48th in field goal percentage (44.3%) and are 13th in turnovers per game (12.3). Utterback is tied for 88th nationally with 136 total assists and is tied for 50th in total field goals (216). Matic is just one of three players in the nation to have 40 plus made threes while shooting 47 percent or more, joining Te-Hina Paopao (South Carolina) and Blair Schoenwald (Belmont).
 
STRENGTH AT PATRICK GYM
Following their Super 16 victory over Colgate, the Catamounts improved to 61-23 at Patrick Gym under Kresge and this season have set a program record with 16 wins at home, going 16-2. Vermont is outscoring opponents 61.9-49.5 at home this season while holding their opponents to just 36.5 percent shooting from the floor and 27.2 percent from three. The Catamounts have connected on 46.9 percent of their shots and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc. Vermont also bolsters a plus 3.2 rebounding margin and forced 13.6 turnovers (6.3 steals) per game on their home court.
 
SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS
Saint Louis enters Wednesday's matchup following a 65-60 WNIT Great Eight victory over Wisconsin. Offensively, The Billikens are averaging 72.6 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting from the floor and 31.7 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, Saint Louis is allowing 71.0 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting from the floor and 33.0 percent from three. The Billikens are also averaging 9.5 steals and 2.1 blocks per contest. This season Saint Louis is led by graduate Kyla McMakin who is averaging 16.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. McMakin led the way in their Great Eight victory with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Fellow graduate student Julia Martinez leads the Billikens in rebounds (6.1) per game and passing with 6.2 assists per contest. Senior Peyton Kennedy is right behind McMakin averaging 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 48.9 percent shooting and 38.0 percent from three.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
This will be the first ever matchup between Vermont and Saint Louis. Vermont is 24-37 all-time against the Atlantic-10 having faced UMass the most with a 7-24 record against the Minutewomen, including 0-2 under Mayer Head Women's Basketball Coach Alisa Kresge. Vermont has earned their most wins against an Atlatic-10 foe against Rhode Island, bolstering a 9-6 record. Overall, in the Kresge era that Catamounts 2-4 and are being outscored 67.8-64.8. This season, Vermont is 1-0 against the Atlantic-10 having defeated Duquesne 77-61 at Patrick on December 16.
 
UP NEXT
If the Catamounts win Wednesday's matchup with the Billikens at Patrick Gym, they will play in their first ever WNIT Championship game. The Catamounts would faceoff with Minnesota or Troy on Saturday, April 6 at 3 p.m. in a game broadcast nationally on the CBS Sports Network. The location of the championship will be determined by the WNIT following the conclusion of both semifinal contests.
 
Vermont Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont Women's Basketball