WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Coming off of a victory over Maine to launch its America East schedule, the Vermont women's basketball team is wrapping up preparations to take on Hartford on Saturday (Jan. 7). Tip off is scheduled at 2 p.m. at Chase Arena.
 
Fans outside the Hartford area can watch the game live and in high definition with free streaming video through AmericaEast.TV. In addition, Tyler Terens will have the call on WVMT 620-AM as well as through Catamounts All-Access. Live stats will be available via SIDEARM Stats.
 
RELATED LINKS
Video | Audio | Live Stats
Vermont Notes (.pdf)
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
The Green and Gold launched its America East schedule on a positive note this past Wednesday (Jan. 4), grabbing a 55-52 win from defending-regular season conference champion Maine. Fans were treated to a team effort at Patrick Gymnasium as nine different Catamounts registered points on the night, ending a five-game slide. Senior Kylie Butler led the charge with 12 points, while Candice Wright's 11 points and eight boards put the sophomore two rebounds short of her second double-double of the season.
 
In the second quarter UVM held Maine to just 1-for-7 (14.3 percent) from the field, marked by Laia Sole's 3-pointer for the Black Bears. That bucket ended a 16-0 Catamounts run over 7:12, during which five different Catamounts netted points.
 
SCOUTING HARTFORD
Saturday's game with UVM will mark the beginning of Hartford's conference schedule. The Hawks, who finished the non-league slate at 9-4, are coming off of a pair of close victories at Delaware (Dec. 21, 67-66) and Hofstra (Dec. 30, 69-67), the first of which saw senior Deanna Mayza register her 1,000th career point. Hartford will hold a brief ceremony prior to Saturday's game to recognize Mayza on the feat.
 
Averaging 68.5 points per game on 40.7 percent shooting from the field, the Hawks have been tightly contested by their opponents who have countered with 66.9 points on a nightly basis. Mayza chairs the offense burying 16.4 points per game while freshman Sierra DaCosta and sophomore Lindsey Abed each follow with an 11.7 figure. Mayza has also distributed the ball well among her teammates with a team-high 5 assists per game.
 
Head coach Kim McNeill, a 16-year veteran as a Division I assistant, is in her inaugural campaign leading the Hawks. She had previous stints at Virginia, Georgia, California and Richmond.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Despite falling in the last 10 matchups, Vermont maintains the upper hand all-time against the Hawks. UVM's last win came on Jan. 7, 2012 when Shanai Heber registered 14 points, six boards, five assists and five steals in a 57-50 comeback decision at Hartford.
 
The 1990s were a decade in which the Green and Gold had the Hawks' number, riding a 20-game win streak from Feb. 14, 1990 through Feb. 21, 1998. That run included a convincing 80-30 win for the Catamounts in the 1992 North Atlantic Conference Quarterfinals, during which UVM held its opponent to just 15-for-56 (26.9 percent) shooting. Vermont's Sheri Turnbull registered a double-double that day in Burlington with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
 
MAINE REWIND
In addition to picking up its first victory in a conference opener since 2013-14, Vermont snapped a seven-game losing streak against Maine as a result of Wednesday's decision. In part behind 18 points from Kylie Butler, the Catamounts topped UMass Lowell 95-82 on Dec. 1, 2013 to begin that season's America East slate. UVM previously defeated Maine on Jan. 23, 2013, helped by Annie Wheeler's 14 points off the bench in a 61-53 topping.
 
The Black Bears' three second quarter points represent a tie for the fewest points allowed by the Catamounts in a single 10-minute period. In a Feb. 28, 2016 win over Stony Brook, UVM surrendered just three points in the fourth quarter in preserving a 44-37 victory over the Seawolves at Patrick Gymnasium. The NCAA adopted the four 10-minute quarter format prior to the 2015-16 season.
 
ALL THE 'WRIGHT' REASONS
Candice Wright's 11-point night on Wednesday marked the sophomore's sixth double-figure game of the season. The Cambridge, Ontario native has also been a force on the glass for the Catamounts, pulling down 5.8 rebounds nightly to put her in a tie with freshman Hanna Crymble for the team lead in that category.
 
Wright also registered three blocks on Wednesday night including a pair in the first half.
 
WELCOME TO VERMONT, COACH
A 1997 graduate of West Chester University in Pennsylvania, head coach Chris Day arrives in Vermont following a three-year stint as an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania. During his time at Penn, the Quakers punched two tickets to the NCAA Tournament and captured two Ivy League titles. The squad amassed 67 wins during his tenure, including a remarkable 36-6 mark in conference action.
 
The eighth head coach in UVM history, Day also spent time in coaching capacities at Indiana (2012-13), Saint Joseph's (2005-12) and La Salle (2004-05). He served a three-year stint (2000-03) as head coach at Division III Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, helping Widener make its first postseason appearance in 20 years.
 
NEXT UP
Binghamton University sits next on the docket for UVM, who will host the Bearcats at Patrick Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

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