WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont women's basketball team begins the 2015-16 regular season on Friday morning (Nov. 13) with a home game against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. Tip-off in Patrick Gym is set for 11:30 a.m. The game will be streamed online for free via AmericaEast.TV and can also be heard on WVMT-620 AM (online: SportsJuice.com or TuneIn app).
 
RELATED LINKS
Game Coverage - Video | Audio | Stats

TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com, in person at the Athletic Ticket Office located on the balcony in Patrick Gymnasium (Mon - Fri; 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.), over the phone during office hours at 802-656-4410, or one hour before game time in the lobby of Patrick Gymnasium.

GAME DAY PROMOTIONS
Catamount Classroom – Friday's matchup marks the second Catamount Classroom event hosted by the University of Vermont Athletic Department. This year over 1,100 students from eight different schools in Vermont will be in attendance for an exciting and educational day of women's basketball.
 
A LOOK AT THE 2015-16 CATAMOUNTS
Vermont returns seven letterwinners and four starters, including senior Kylie Atwood (4.1 ppg), junior Kylie Butler, who led the team in rebounds collecting 5.9 per game and averaged 9.1 points each contest, and sophomore Sydney Smith, who earned a spot on the conference's All-Rookie Team last season. Smith registered 342 points in her 23 starts, averaging 13.1 points per game. Her 64 3-pointers ranked third among the America East leaders and are sixth most in a single season at UVM.
 
The team adds six new Catamounts to the 2015-16 squad: Lauren Handy (6-2, F, Sarnia, Ontario/Northern Collegiate), Hayley Robertson (5-8, G, Toronto, Ontario/Bill Crothers), Candice Wright (6-3, F, Cambridge, Ontario/Jacob Hespeler), Courtney Wright (6-0, F, Cambridge, Ontario/Jacob Hespeler), Anna-Maria Manta (5-10, G, Peiraisas, Greece/American Community School) and transfer graduate student Andreana Thomas (5-4, G, West Haven, Conn./Hofstra).
 
Brett Benzio, Jon Silver and Dashawn Harden join the Catamounts' coaching staff this year as well. Assistant coach Benzio arrives at Vermont after serving as an assistant coach and Director of Basketball Operations at Harvard. Benzio graduated from Tulane in 2012 as a four-year starter. Silver, also an assistant coach, comes to Vermont after four seasons on the coaching staff at LSU. He was involved in all facets of the LSU women's basketball program as Director of Basketball Operations and is a 2009 graduate of UCLA. Harden also comes from LSU and will serve as the new Director of Basketball Operations. She was a two-year member of the Lady Tigers' basketball program.

UVM is opening the season at Patrick Gymnasium for the second time since 2008-09. The Catamounts are 26-10 in home openers since 1979.
 
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut received one first place vote and was picked to finish third in the Northeast Conference by a vote of the conference's head coaches. The third place prediction matches the highest ranking for the Blue Devils in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as CCSU was also slotted third in the 2009-10 poll. CCSU finished the 2014-15 campaign with a 19-13 (14-4) record.
 
The Blue Devils' roster will feature 10 returning players for the 2015-16 season. All 10 saw game action during the 2014-15 campaign. Beryl Piper begins her ninth season as the head coach of the CCSU women's basketball program as the winningest Division I coach in the history of the program. Piper's 112 wins are tops during CCSU's Division I era, as is her .467 career winning percentage.

As a team, the Blue Devils' averaged 63.4 ppg and shot .414 from the field during the 2014-15 season. CCSU returns senior TeJahne Malone, who was named to the All-NEC Second-Team last season, as well as sophomore Camden Musgrave who was a member of the conference all-rookie squad. Malone led the team's offense registering 312 total points (10.8 ppg) and started 29 games. Musgrave added 298 points off the bench while she averaged 19.4 minutes on the floor.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday marks the 20th meeting between the two programs. The Blue Devils lead the series 10-9. CCSU's 77-75 overtime victory last season was the third-straight win for Central Connecticut over the Catamounts. Prior to the 2012 season, UVM posted five consecutive wins against the Blue Devils.
 
LAST TIME OUT | CatamounTV Highlights
The Catamounts are coming off a 58-56 exhibition win over neighboring St. Michael's College last weekend. Smith led the team's offense as she registered 14 points and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in 26 minutes on the floor. Atwood added 13 points while shooting 60 percent from the field.

Robertson, in her first start for UVM, collected a team-high seven rebounds, four steals and nine points. Vermont held St. Mike's to 30.4 percent from the field and 4-for-17 from 3-point range. Smith made a key block on the defensive end with under a minute left and Atwood sealed the win with a pair of three throws.
 
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont gears up for a three-game road stretch after its contest against Central Connecticut. Columbia hosts the Catamounts on Tuesday, Nov. 17 with a 7 p.m. tip-off before UVM travels to Rhode Island for a pair of games against Bryant in Smithfield on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. and Brown in Providence on Monday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.
 
KEEP UP WITH THE CATS
There are several ways to keep up with all women's basketball news, notes and results in Catamount Country:
Twitter – follow @UVMwbb and when tweeting about the Catamounts use the hashtag #VCats
Instagram – follow us at instagram.com/vermontcatamounts
Facebook – like us at facebook.com/vermont.catamounts
YouTube – watch game highlights and other features at youtube.com/uvmathletics
 
Catamount Score Alerts - Can't make it to a game and not near a computer, receive the final score from all games via a text message to your mobile device. Click here to sign up for the Catamount Score Alerts for women's basketball and any other teams. Message and data rates may apply.
 
America East Digital Network - Watch all home games and America East games on the America East Digital Network. This season the University of Vermont is an official member of the America East Digital Network. All UVM home games and all America East road games can be seen on the network for FREE at AmericaEast.tv. Visit the women's basketball schedule for links to the video streams.

eNews - Receive game summaries, releases and weekly previews for UVM women's basketball delivered to your own personal email inbox by signing up for the UVM Women's Basketball eNews. The service is FREE, click here to sign up today.