WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The Catamounts are back on the road as they head to Lowell, Massachusetts on Monday (Jan. 18) to take on the UMass Lowell River Hawks. Tip-off at Costello Gym is set for 1 p.m.
 
Radio coverage begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off at 12:40 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com. The game can also be viewed for free via AmericaEast.tv.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Video | Audio | Stats | Game Notes (.pdf)
 
ABOUT VERMONT
The Catamounts take on the River Hawks after starting conference play with an 0-4 mark. Vermont is shooting at a clip of 34-percent from the field and is connecting on 70-percent of shots from the charity stripe.
 
Andreana Thomas and Sydney Smith pace Vermont's offense, each averaging double-figure scoring, with Thomas posting 13.5 points per game and Smith adding 10.5 points each contest. Thomas has eclipsed the 20-point mark three times this season and has led the team in scoring eight times.

Vermont's defense is holding opponents to just 37-percent from the field in its first 17 games, the lowest in America East, and blocks the most shots of any school in the conference, posting at least five blocks per game. UVM ranks 32nd nationally in blocks, having registered 87 total.

LAST TIME OUT | Highlights
UVM dropped a close America East matchup 51-47 to Hartford on Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gym. Vermont fell to 5-12 (0-4) on the season and the Hawks improved to 6-10 (2-1).

The tip went in favor of Vermont, but the Hawks strung together a 13-5 run and jumped to an early 15-10 lead midway through the first quarter. Courtney Wright knocked down a pair from the foul line and Andreana Thomas drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to chip away at the Hawks lead, but Hartford held a 21-17 advantage after one quarter.
 
The fourth quarter went down to the wire and it remained a single-possession game. Thomas hit a key jumper to tie the game at 46 apiece with 2:19 remaining and the teams traded trips to the line. Thomas missed a late runner with a chance to tie the score, and La'Trice Hall drew a foul that sent the Hawks to the charity stripe to solidify their narrow, four-point victory.
 
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
The trio of Kylie Atwood, Gracia Hutson and Andreana Thomas make up the women's basketball class of 2016. The veterans record 18.5 ppg and grab a quarter (11.5 rpg) of Vermont's rebounds each game.
 
Atwood has accumulated 49 starts, including all 17 this season, and has made appearances in 98 games during her career as a Catamount. Hutson, a 6-2 forward from Minnesota, is suiting up for her 100th appearance in four years on Monday and pulls down the second-most rebounds on the team, averaging at least five per game. Hutson grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds at Holy Cross in early December.
 
Thomas is averaging 32 minutes on the floor per game and is responsible for the most steals on the team with 29 on the season.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS
Sydney Smith has made the second-most 3-point buckets (38) in America East, while averaging the most baskets from behind the arc per game, connecting on 2.31 each contest. Smith also contributes to Vermont's defense as she blocks the third-most shots per game (1.4) in the league. Candice Wright matched her career-high five blocks against Albany on Jan. 9 and averages 1.64 per game, the second-most in America East.

SCOUTING UMASS LOWELL
UMass Lowell (3-13, 0-4) welcomes Vermont after dropping its most recent conference matchup against the UMBC Retrievers on Saturday. In the fourth quarter of her 100th career appearance, Lindsey Doucette extended her double-digit scoring streak to 12 consecutive games. The senior finished the afternoon with a team-high 10 points and eight rebounds.

The River Hawk offense is led by a trio of players averaging double-figures this season. Doucette is leading the way with 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Kayla Gibbs is scoring 12.8 points per game with 8.3 rebounds, while Nicole Hayner is averaging 10.7 points. Asia Mitchell-Owens is connecting on 41.0 percent (25-for-61) of her three-point attempts, and has dished out 39 assists to facilitate the offense.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Doucette has 11 blocks and 19 steals. As a unit, UMass Lowell Is shooting 38.5-percent from the field and 32-percent from three-point range.
 
The River Hawks have had nine games with three or more scorers in double figures. In three of the nine, UMass Lowell has had four players with 10 or more points.

SERIES HISTORY
The River Hawks have the 3-1 head-to-head edge over Vermont since joining America East starting in the 2013-14 season. UVM and UMass Lowell split the regular season series during the River Hawk's first season, but the Catamounts fell in both games last season.

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont hosts back-to-back conference matchups against Binghamton on Thursday (Jan. 21) and New Hampshire next Wednesday (Jan. 27). Tip-off against the Bearcats at Patrick Gym is set for 7 p.m. Radio coverage in Burlington against the Bearcats begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off at 6:40 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com. All conference matchups can also be viewed for free via AmericaEast.tv.

Tickets can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com/tickets, 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.