The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Cats split weekend

    The Vermont women’s basketball team hosted the 18th TD Bank Classic this past weekend that welcomed teams from Drexel, Houston Baptist and Rhode Island to Catamount Country. The well-known tournament ended with the Drexel Dragons named as the champions after pulling wins in both of their weekend games.

 With the initial game of the weekend, the Cats earned the win over the Houston Baptist Huskies with a final score of 59-48. This marked the third win for the Catamounts overall this season.

Together sophomore Annie Wheeler and first-year Kylie Atwood led the team in the victory earning Vermont 23 points, with Wheeler tallying a career-high 12 of those herself. This was Atwood’s first career start suited up in the green and gold.

“It was a great win for our team, we really needed that confidence boost,” said Vermont head coach Lori Gear McBride in a postgame interview with CatamounTV.

As the first half minutes ticked down, the Catamounts racked up the points netting a seven-point lead on a layup from rookie Gracia Hutson. The Huskies battled back with a solid run on the Vermont basket, and it seemed that the half would close with Houston trailing by a single point.

 Not ready to lie down, Atwood added a 3-pointer to teammate Lauren Buschmann’s previous layup to regain control for the Cats and take a 33-27 lead at the half.

 Following the break, Vermont shut down the Huskies earning a 20-0 run within a span of eight minutes to arrive at what would be their final score of 59 points.

In the other Friday matchup, the Drexel Dragons pushed past Rhode Island to earn the second win of the day with a final score of 55-43.

 Vermont’s streak ended Saturday as it faced off against Drexel in the tournament championship, falling to the Dragons 66-49. 

Vermont sophomore Niki Taylor led the team with 14 points, with junior Sam Simononis contributing 11 points on top of that. The Cat’s effort wasn’t enough as they struggled to earn points against the Dragons and ended the first half trailing by more than 20 points.

   As they returned to the court, the Catamounts increased their drive and dominated the ball in the first few minutes of play. 

When Drexel earned the ball back they stole the fire and recaptured their double-digit lead over Vermont, where they would remain for the continuation of the game.

 “I was disappointed in the start. I thought we were flat,” said McBride. “We didn’t hit our shots early and that took the intensity out of our defense.” 

The Catamount’s next tip off is at 12:30 Dec. 16 at Oklahoma State, home of the undefeated Cowgirls. 

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Cats split weekend