WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, the Vermont women's basketball team is making final preparations to welcome LIU Brooklyn, Milwaukee and NJIT to the Green Mountain State for the TD Bank Classic. All four games of the tournament will be played at Patrick Gymnasium.
 
Action begins on Friday (Nov. 25) with a pair of contests as LIU Brooklyn takes on Milwaukee at 4 p.m. UVM then wraps up the evening with a 7 p.m. tilt against NJIT. Saturday's slate features the consolation game at 5 p.m. and championship game at 7 p.m. All four games throughout the weekend will be streamed live on AmericaEast.TV.
 
RELATED LINKS
LIU Brooklyn vs. Milwaukee: Live Video | Live Stats
Vermont vs. NJIT: Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio | Vermont Notes | NJIT Notes
Consolation Game: Live Video
Championship Game: Live Video
Tickets
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
Friday: Fans are encouraged to take advantage of a special Black Friday deal as tickets to Friday's TD Bank Classic games will be just $2.
Saturday: As part of Cat Pride Club Appreciation Day, all members of the Cat Pride Club will receive double points for checking in at Patrick Gym.
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets for each day of the TD Bank Classic by visiting UVM Ticket Central. Additionally, tickets can be acquired by calling the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at (802) 656-4410 or by visiting the office, located on the balcony of the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby. On gamedays, tickets can be purchased beginning one hour before tipoff in the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby.
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
Vermont was most recently in action on Sunday, wrapping up the weekend in Connecticut with a matinee at Yale. The Catamounts had difficulty overcoming a 15-4 fourth quarter run by the Bulldogs despite 11 points apiece by Hanna Crymble, Sydney Smith and Candice Wright.
 
UVM nearly pocketed its first road win on Friday night, rallying to force overtime at Central Connecticut. Candice Wright led all scorers with 19 points as the Catamounts eliminated a 14-point deficit in the second half, but a 7-0 CCSU run midway through the extra period lifted the squad past UVM 78-76.
 
SCOUTING THE FIELD
LIU Brooklyn: The Blackbirds (0-3) are coming off of a roadtrip to No. 7 Ohio State last Saturday. Drew Winter netted 12 points and dished out four helpers but the squad could not overcome a 32-point opening period by the Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Shanovia Dove paces the Blackbirds with 12.7 points per game and Aja Boyd and Gabrielle Caponegro lead the team on the glass, each averaging 6.3 rebounds.
 
Milwaukee: The Panthers sit at 3-1 on the season after knocking off in-state rival Wisconsin on Tuesday, 80-63. Jenny Lindner and Sierra Ford-Washington exploded for 28 and 27 points respectively as Milwaukee forced 17 turnovers by the Badgers. Lindner (11 rebounds) and Steph Kostowicz (12 pts, 13 reb) each finished with double-doubles. The Panthers advanced to the WNIT last year as an automatic qualifier out of the Horizon League.
 
NJIT: NJIT is an even 2-2 at this early juncture, having opened the campaign with wins over Wagner and St. Joseph's Brooklyn before falling to Bucknell and Farleigh Dickinson. The Highlanders boast two players averaging double figures in scoring as Alana Dudley and Leah Horton have tallied marks of 14.3 and 11.8 points per game, respectively.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont won its lone meeting with NJIT, taking a 54-46 decision from the Highlanders last season after stringing together a late rally in the fourth quarter. Sydney Smith dished a quick pass to Candice Wright to give Vermont its first lead of the game (44-42) with 5:28 left to play. A late 10-2 push by UVM in the final three minutes secured its eight-point victory over the Highlanders.
 
The Catamounts have never faced LIU Brooklyn or Milwaukee. However, the Northeast Conference, home of LIU Brooklyn, is rather familiar territory for the squad which has compiled a 20-19 all-time record against NEC teams. The Horizon League stands a bit more uncharted, as UVM is winless in six total matchups with Green Bay, Oakland and Youngstown State.
 
THE FIRSTS CONTINUE
Freshman Jessica Fuller made her collegiate debut last weekend, appearing both at Central Connecticut and Yale and starting the latter contest. The native of Grand Rapids, Michigan also inked the scorebook in both games, posting five points at CCSU and two more at Yale.
 
UVM's season-opening pair at Patrick Gym saw numerous firsts for multiple Catamounts. Freshmen Hanna Crymble and Nyamuoch Teny hit the floor for the first time while graduate transfer Kallie Banker played in her first game as a Catamount. Banker and Crymble also registered their first points.
 
IT'S GOOD! FROM DOWNTOWN!
Junior Sydney Smith and redshirt junior Kristina White made a splash to open the season, combining to average 22.5 points in UVM's first two games and drain 10 3-pointers. The duo, serving as captains with junior Katie Lavelle, also dished out eight assists over that weekend.
 
White hit seven shots from behind the arc including four in Vermont's season opener against Bryant. In reaching that mark, the Woodbury, Minnesota product surpassed her total in that category from the previous two seasons.
 
WELCOME TO VERMONT, COACH
A 1997 graduate of West Chester University, 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 program 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.
 
DAY ANNOUNCES COACHING STAFF
Alisa Kresge, Brian Donoghue and Caroline Coyer have joined Day's staff for the 2016-17 campaign. Kresge, who will serve as associate head coach, comes to UVM from Marist College after spending six seasons at her alma mater as an assistant. As a player with the Red Foxes, she finished as the program's all-time leader in assists (596) and ranked second in steals (222).
 
Donoghue was previously the head coach at King's College in Pennsylvania, leading the Lady Monarchs to seven Freedom Conference Tournament appearances. In 2011-12, King's finished one win short of tying a program record (25) en route to the NCAA Sweet 16.
 
Coyer joins the Catamounts after a four-year playing career at Villanova. In addition to reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2013, she helped the Wildcats to three straight WNIT appearances (2014-16). In May of 2015, she was named to the USA Basketball Women's Pan American Games roster, with the team capturing the silver medal after posting a 4-1 record.
 
NEXT UP
A Wednesday, Nov. 30 tilt with New England rival Holy Cross stands on deck for the Catamounts. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium.