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Vermont Falls at Brown in Women's Basketball

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Created on Thursday, 08 December 2011 04:05

Written by George Commo

Four free throws in the final 9.2 seconds of the game lead Brown to a 61-57 victory

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

PROVIDENCE,RI – Sheila Dixon and Hannah Passafuime each made a pair of free throws in the final 9.2 seconds of the game to lead Brown to a 61-57 victory over Vermont at the Pizzitola Sports Center in non-conference women's basketball action on Wednesday evening.

With 12 seconds remaining in the game, Vermont trailed by three, 57-54.  After a UVM timeout, freshman Tierra Shumpert drained a 3-pointer to knot the game up at 57-57.

On the ensuing possession for Brown, Dixon was fouled and made both free throws to give the Bears a two-point advantage, 59-57.  In Vermont's final possession, Shanai Heber's layup attempt with three seconds left did not fall and Passafuime picked up the rebound for Brown and was promptly fouled.  With 0.4 seconds remaining, Passafuime was able to convert both free throws to secure the win for the Bears.

“Brown played an excellent game of basketball tonight and really exposed our weaknesses,” said Vermont head coach Lori Gear McBride. “I thought we had good efforts by Lauren Buschmann, Lauren Wheeler and Tierra Shumpert, but unfortunately it wasn't enough.”

Brown scored the first bucket of the game, but the Catamounts quickly took control, rattling off an 11-2 spurt to take a seven-point lead, 11-4, in the first seven minutes of the contest.

Brown cut the lead to two, but the Catamounts put together another 10-2 run to push ahead by 10, UVM's biggest lead of the game, 21-11, with 8:11 remaining in the half.  Vermont maintained a six-point advantage the rest of the half and went into the locker room with a 32-26 lead.

After shooting 42.3 percent in the first half, the Catamounts struggled offensively shooting just 28.6 in the second stanza.  Brown bounced back from a 10-for-31 first half effort from the field (32.3%) and converted 50 percent of its shots in the second stanza.

Brown opened the second half with a 13-1 run to climb out of the deficit and take a 39-36 lead five minutes into the action.  Following the third tie of the half, UVM was able to re-take the lead, 49-46, behind a 6-2 spurt at the 8:14 mark.

After Niki Taylor made one of two free throws for the Catamounts to tie the game up for the fourth time at 50 with 5:45 left in the game, Dixon hit back-to-back baskets to give Brown a 54-50 lead. 

Neither team scored over the next three minutes.  UVM's Lauren Buschmann ended the drought with a layup at the 1:04 mark to bring Vermont within two, 54-52.  Brown answered with a foul shot from Passafuime to extend the lead to three, 55-52, with under a minute to go.

Lauren Wheeler made a pair of free throw with 48 seconds showing on the clock to slice the lead to one, 55-54, but Passafuime responded with a layup to push Brown's advantage back to three, 57-54, with 25 seconds left.

UVM took a time out and Shumpert, who finished the game with a career-high 15 points, was able to sink her fourth 3-pointer of the contest to knot the game up.  However the duo of Dixon and Passafuime were able to seal the win with their free throws.

“I thought we struggled executing our game plan in the second half and did not finish down the stretch.  When you play against a team with as much experience and poise as Brown, little mistakes turn into big ones,” continued Gear McBride.

Buschmann led the Catamounts with 18 points, reaching double-figures for the seventh time in nine games, and added six rebounds.  Wheeler chipped in 11 points and six rebounds in her first start of the season.

Aileen Daniels led Brown with 18 points, while Passafuime chipped in 16 points and six rebounds.  Dixon added eight points and eight caroms and Lauren Clarke rounded out the scoring leaders with 11 points.

Vermont falls to 6-3 overall, while Brown improves to 6-4 with on the season with its third straight win.

“With the exam period upon us, we will spend the next 10 days focusing on our academics and correcting some of our problem areas,” said Gear McBride.

Following final exams, the Catamounts return to action on December 18 when they travel to Nebraska to take on the Huskers.  The game is scheduled to tip off at 3:05 p.m. (EST) and will be broadcast on WVMT-620 AM and on the Internet at SportsJuice.com.

NOTES: Tierra Shumpert is fourth straight rookie to set a new career high in the last four games for Vermont … Junior Kristine Lalonde returned to the lineup after missing three games with a shoulder injury … Vermont out rebounded its opponent for the seventh time this season.