Courtesy Vermont Sports Information
PROVIDENCE – The Brown Bears remain undefeated as they posted their fifth win of the season over the University of Vermont women’s basketball team 71-54 on Monday evening at the Wendell R. Erickson Athletic Complex. Vermont falls to 1-3 heading into the TD Bank Classic after Thanksgiving in Patrick Gym.
“There were a lot of good takeaways from tonight, including things we need to work on and things we did well,” said head coach Lori Gear McBride. “We had what amounted to a six minute let down that determined the outcome of the game but otherwise, I’m proud of the effort. We have a couple players who are still trying to find their rhythm but it’ll come.”
Andreana Thomas picked up her first double-double as a Catamount as she led Vermont’s offense by posting 15 points and 11 rebounds. Candice Wright chipped in a game-high 17 points. As a team, UVM pulled down 43 rebounds and finished with an edge of four on the boards.
Four members of Brown’s squad posted double-figures in the scoring column. Jordin Alexander went a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line as she recorded a team-high 14 points, Shayna Mehta added 12 points, and Rebecca Musgrove and Janie White each put 11 points on the board for Brown.
A jumper by Candice Wright a minute and a half into the action set the game in motion for Vermont as the contest was tied 11-11 with 2:09 left in the first quarter. Five Catamounts put points on the board in UVM’s 17-13 first-period advantage over Brown.
The Bears wasted no time in the second quarter as Brown went on a 22-2 run and developed a 35-19 lead over the Catamounts. Brown collected 18 points in the paint during the run, converting 11 Vermont turnovers into 10 points. UVM was just 1-for-10 from 3-point range and was held to 22-percent (8-for-36) from the field in the first half.
Momentum shifted back in Vermont’s favor as Candice Wright knocked down two sets of free throws and a pair of layups to put the Catamounts to bring the Catamounts back to within 13 of Brown. Thomas used her speed to take over and single-handedly went on a 10-2 run over the Bears from under the basket and the foul line, going 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.
Kylie Atwood drained a 3-pointer to cut Brown’s advantage to five with 1:14 remaining in the third, but Mehta and White sunk back-to-back buckets from behind the arc to close out the quarter and put the Bears up 55-44 over Vermont.
Candice Wright and Courtney Wright tallied Vermont’s 10 fourth-quarter points but it was not enough as Brown secured its 17-point victory over the Catamounts.
UVM returns home to host the TD Bank Classic on Friday (Nov. 27) and Saturday (Nov. 28). Georgetown and Quinnipiac kick off the tournament Friday with a 5 p.m. tip-off, followed by Vermont and the Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn at 7 p.m. The winner of each game will face off in the championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m. with the consolation game preceding at 5 p.m.
Radio coverage begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off each night on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com and all four games can be viewed for free via AmericaEast.tv.
Tickets can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com, in person at the Athletic Ticket Office located on the balcony in Patrick Gymnasium (Mon – Fri; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.), over the phone during office hours at 802-656-4410, or one hour before game time in the lobby of Patrick Gymnasium.