FINAL SCORE: Holy Cross 77, Vermont 63
WORCESTER, Mass. – The UVM women's basketball team fell on the road to the Holy Cross Crusaders, 77-63, at the Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts on Wednesday night. Vermont drops to 1-6 and the Crusaders improve to 2-5.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
Box Score (.pdf)
 
"The missed shots and turnovers out of the gate in the third quarter were the difference tonight," head coach Lori Gear McBride noted. "We saw some good things, especially in the opening two quarters but we need to put it all together for an entire game."
 
Three Catamounts posted double-figures in the scoring column. Sydney Smith was just shy of a third double-double of the season as she dropped five 3-point buckets, totaled 18 points and posted nine rebounds. Andreana Thomas added 14 points and Hayley Robertson chipped in 15 points and four steals. Senior Gracia Hutson was strong on the boards as she grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds. Vermont went 14-for-16 from the foul line and shot 42 percent from the field.
 
Raquel Scott registered a game-high 23 points going 12-for-21 from the field for the Crusaders. Molly Hourigan snagged a game-high 14 rebounds and blocked six shots for Holy Cross.
 
Smith picked up where she left off against Quinnipiac on Saturday and drained a 3-pointer to open up play. Lisa Mifsud followed Smith's early three with back-to-back buckets from downtown to give Holy Cross a seven-point cushion at the 4:47 mark of the first quarter.
 
Robertson caught from fire behind the arc with a pair of threes and Candice Wright chipped a basket to combine for eight points as the Catamounts closed out the first 10 minutes with a 13-12 lead.
 
Kylie Atwood connected with Kylie Butler, who tipped in a layup to give the Catamounts their largest lead of the game at 32-24 with 1:53 remaining in the half. Atwood dished another pass to Smith and she knocked down her third triple of the game to give Vermont a 37-31 advantage at the end of the first half.
 
Vermont shot 44 percent from the field (14-for-32) and grabbed 22 rebounds in the first two quarters, while Scott posted 16 of the Crusaders' 31 first-half points.
 
Holy Cross began the second half on a 12-2 run to retake the lead. The Crusaders matched their largest lead of the night and held a 49-42 edge with a minute left in the third. Thomas hit a jumper to bring Vermont within six of the Crusaders before the final quarter

Vermont cut the Crusaders' lead to eight two separate times in the fourth quarter but a pair of threes from Katie Doherty helped Holy Cross restore its double-figure cushion. The Crusaders sealed the win with a strong effort at the foul line, finishing the contest 15-for-19.

Vermont returns to Patrick Gym one more time before the holidays to take on Sacred Heart on Sunday (Dec. 6) at 2 p.m. Radio coverage begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off at 1:40 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Jamie Scavotto calling the action. The game can also be viewed for free via AmericaEast.tv.

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.

PROMOTIONS
Sunday vs. Sacred Heart - Sunday's game will be recognized as Youth Day. All youth basketball players 12 and under will receive free admission by e-mailing whurd@uvm.edu to be placed on the complimentary ticket list.

Vermont will also be holding a festive sweater competition at halftime of Sunday's matchup. Don't forget to come to the game with your best holiday sweater for a chance to win a $100 gift card to the Superstore.

Following the game we will have Poster Day presented by the UPS Store Downtown. Stick around in Patrick Gym following the game to receive a 2015-16 schedule poster signed by the University of Vermont women's basketball team.