After a Feb. 22 win on the road over UMass Lowell, women’s basketball brought the high energy back to Patrick Gym against the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Thursday night, Feb. 27.
The Cats came out strong with an 11-4 lead five minutes into play, staying ahead 24-13 at the end of the first quarter thanks to an impressive 67% success rate in shots from the field.
UVM ended the half 42-19, outscoring NJIT with three times the points in the second quarter.
After the half, senior forward Sarah Lazar brought the crowd to their feet with a breakaway layup off of a pass by junior guard Keira Hanson, bringing the Cats to 55-28 by the fourth quarter.
Vermont controlled the game with consistent scoring in possession, led by 14 points from senior guard Bella Vito and 10 rebounds from senior guard Sarah Ericson.
“About two months ago they looked a lot shakier. Now they look a lot more confident and they’re playing much better,” said UVM professor Leigh Raymond.
With a strong 75-point finish to NJIT’s 43 — the win marking the team’s largest margin of victory this season — fans are hopeful that Vermont will go far in the upcoming America East conference tournament.
“I think they’re going in hot right at the time of the tournament. They should do well,” said UVM professor Jonathan “Doc” Bradley.
The successful night places the Cats No. 2 in the conference with a 12-3 record heading into their last game of the regular season. Women’s basketball will host UMBC at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Mar. 1, where graduating players will be honored.
