As fans poured into Patrick Gym for the America East women’s basketball semifinals Monday night, they were greeted by two sets of pep bands, mascots and spirit teams.
The Bryant University Bulldogs and their supporters came a long way to Burlington, with no intention of letting the Catamounts slide into the conference championship.
At their previous meeting on Feb. 20, Bryant emerged victorious over Vermont 61-53. Since the loss, the Cats rattled off four wins in a row, securing the No. 2 seed and home court advantage for the semifinal matchup.
Vermont came out of the gate with authority, opening the game with an 11-4 run. Led by redshirt junior guard and Shelburne, Vt. native Catherine Gilwee, UVM claimed an early 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
“I love the way they look out for each other and the way they go after the other team. It is amazing,” said fan Sally Stevens of Shelburne, Vt.
Stevens is a season ticket holder and former teacher of Gilwee, who led the team in scoring against Bryant with 16 points.
Vermont continued exerting control of the floor and crashing the paint with conviction through the first half, but Bryant remained close enough to make a comeback, trailing 31-19 at the half.
Rosaire Longe, a fan from Burlington, has been coming to UVM women’s basketball games since 1990.
“It’s the loudest, probably the most energy, I’ve seen the whole year. Usually, they’re very energetic to begin with, so they’re going over the top today,” he said of the crowd.
Vermont opened the second half with as much momentum as the first. Gilwee and senior guard Sarah Ericson oversaw a 15-6 run in the opening minutes of quarter three.
UVM began the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead over the Bulldogs, 50-30.
With only 10 minutes of basketball standing between the Cats and a third consecutive America East championship appearance, Vermont put 12 more points on the board to finalize the 62-45 victory.
UVM alum Beth Gamache ‘79 attends every women’s basketball home game, but noticed the change in atmosphere for the playoffs.
“It’s electric. The fans here are so passionate and we adore our girls. They’re awesome women and awesome basketball players. This was a great team defensive effort,” she said.
With No. 1 University of Albany defeating No. 4 University of Maine on Monday night, the Great Danes will host the America East championship against Vermont on Friday, March 14 at 5 p.m.
