Catamounts Get Much-Needed Win
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For many teams in mid-major conferences, the non-conference schedule isn’t about racking up wins. Doing so would be nice, but the conference championship is generally the path to the NCAA Tournament, so ultimately the non-conference win-loss record isn’t very relevant.
But even with that in mind, teams need to win games for other reasons. Confidence is certainly one of them, and breeding a winning mentality is another. Those are surely among the reasons Vermont was happy to get a 73-68 win over Harvard on a snowy Sunday afternoon.
“We needed a win, we really did. We’ve been struggling,” said head coach Mike Lonergan. “Everybody has injuries, but you’ve got to get some wins while you’re getting healthy.”
The Catamounts haven’t been home much thus far, as they’ve played just one game at Patrick Gym. They finally get a chance to play there again on Wednesday, so needless to say they’re probably a bit road weary at this point. They’ve also been hit hard by the injury bug, especially in a frontcourt that was already short on experience. Lonergan freely admits he’s more worried about injuries than anything else.
Where to start with the injuries? Sophomore Marqus Blakely has been out with a stress reaction in his foot, but Lonergan is hopeful that he will play against Delaware. Senior Timothy McCrory and freshman Evan Fjeld have missed time recently, with Fjeld still out of Sunday’s game. McCrory was a key player on Sunday in his first game back, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds, but Lonergan said they’re paying close attention to how he feels as he’s not 100 percent.
It’s gotten to the point that junior Ryan Shields has started and freshman Garrett Kissel played 13 minutes against Harvard and scored eight points on 4-4 shooting. They’ve had to stick with Colin McIntosh through his struggles, which included six turnovers and a 3-13 shooting performance on Sunday, and have also had to play 6’3″ Chad Powlovich in the frontcourt.
On Sunday, one wouldn’t have figured that they have had issues up front. The Catamounts had a 46-28 edge on the glass, including a 26-7 edge at halftime. They had 13 offensive rebounds in the first half and used that to their advantage in putting together a 42-27 halftime lead.
Harvard mounted a comeback in the second half and eventually took the lead with a 15-1 run. But right after Vermont regained the lead, they pressed the Crimson and opened the lead up. They would never relinquish the lead, although the Crimson got within one late.
“We didn’t play well, but we played hard. When we went down, we were playing not to lose,” said Lonergan. “I think (the press) woke our team up a little bit.”
They didn’t stay with the press for long, but the damage was done. The Crimson had just six turnovers in the second half, but a couple came at that crucial juncture.
Vermont now gets three straight home games before opening America East play at home. More importantly, Blakely could return as early as Wednesday night. Before the injury, he was averaging 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. His return would give Mike Trimboli more support offensively, and would add one more body to the frontcourt, although Lonergan won’t rush him back.
Sunday’s win could mark a turning point for Vermont if health follows it. The effort has been there, and they’ve been in games despite being under-manned, so if this win gives them confidence and better health follows, the Catamounts will be a contender in America East in the months ahead.
