Articles

Buschmann Leads Vermont Women's Basketball Past Columbia in Season Opener

Details: Created on Saturday, 12 November 2011 04:37; Written by George Commo

Lauren Buschmann 18 points and eight rebounds

Courtesy of Vermont Sports Information

NEW YORK – Junior Lauren Buschmann lead all scorers with 18 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Vermont Catamounts to a 63-52 victory over Columbia at Levien Gymnasium on Friday afternoon in the second women's basketball game in the country to tip off the 2011-12 season.

“Its always nice to open with a win and winning on the road is never easy. This gives us something tangible to build from heading into our home opener,” said Vermont head coach Lori Gear McBride.

“We showed great poise today and consistency in our execution and made plays at critical points through the game. I thought we handled their pressure well and began to attack them more as the game progressed. Shanai Heber and Kristine Lalonde in particular really made the offense work at times. Lauren Buschmann was unstoppable in the paint on both ends of the floor. She let the game come to her but was significant for us in today's win. I was pleased with a lot of things today,” continued Gear McBride.

Vermont jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of action to start the game. Columbia rattled off seven straight points to knot the game up 7-7 with 16:19 remaining in the first half. The Catamounts pushed their lead back to six on a layup by Shanai Heber, but the Lions climbed back again behind a 10-3 run to take their first lead of the game, 19-18, with 8:06 remaining in the stanza. Brittany Simmons scored seven of her nine points in the run for Columbia.

The game remained tightly contested for the rest of the half, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Niki Taylor and Sam Simononis shoved UVM in front by four with 23 seconds left in the half. Melissa Shafer hit a jumper at the halftime horn to cut UVM's lead to two, 32-30, as the team's headed to the locker room.

The Catamounts got out to another quick start in the second half, pushing out to a 10-point lead, 44-34, behind a 10-2 run, which was capped by a 3-pointer from freshman Kayla Burchill. The Lions would get as close as six, 47-41, with 8:28 remaining in the game, but the Catamounts were able to hold them off for the remainder of the contest.

Five other Catamounts scored at least seven points in a well-balanced attack. Simononis and Heber finished the game with nine points, while Lalonde and Taylor chipped in eight points each. Burchill added seven points and four rebounds in her collegiate debut. Heber also contributed seven rebounds and five assists in her Catamount debut after sitting out last season as a transfer from Seton Hall.

Shafer led the Lions with 17 points and five assists, while Amara Mbionwu chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.

Vermont shot 40 percent from the field, while limiting Columbia to 32.1 percent and just 1-for-16 shooting from three-point range. The Catamounts also forced the Lions into 22 turnovers, which resulted in 23 points for UVM.

Vermont begins the season with a 1-0 mark, while Columbia falls to 0-1.

UVM returns to action on Wednesday (Nov. 16) when it hosts Fairfield at 7 p.m. to being a four-game homestand at Patrick Gymnasium. The game can be heard on WVMT-620 AM and on the Internet at SportsJuice.com. Live video of the game is available for free via CatamounTV at UVMathletics.com.

Tickets for all UVM women's basketball home games can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com, at the gate the day of the game, or via the phone by contacting the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at 802-656-4410.

NOTES: Check back later for highlights from the game via CatamounTV ... Vermont improved to 37-2 since the 2009-10 season when holding opponents under 59 points … UVM moves to 18-15 in season openers dating back to 1981 and is 1-1 under head coach Lori Gear McBride … The Catamounts remain unbeaten against the Lions, moving to 3-0 in the all-time series.