WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
A visit to the nation's capital is in store for the Vermont women's basketball team as the Catamounts wave their final goodbyes to 2016 on Friday (Dec. 30) at Howard University. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium.
 
Coverage of Friday's game will be available exclusively on WVMT 620-AM as well as through Catamounts All-Access, with Tyler Terens providing play-by-play. Live video and live stats will be unavailable.
 
RELATED LINKS
Audio | Vermont Game Notes
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
UVM is coming off of a trip to the Midwest just before the holidays in which the Catamounts faced Michigan (Dec. 17) and Oakland (Dec. 20). The trip began with a career-high 17 points from freshman Hanna Crymble but Vermont was unable to recover from a 25-point third quarter for Michigan as the Catamounts fell 78-56 at the Crisler Center.
 
Vermont was successful in containing Michigan's leading scorer Katelynn Flaherty, who finished with only eight points. Flaherty entered the weekend averaging 20 on a night-to-night basis and was held below double figures for the first time since Nov. 29, 2015–a span of 41 games. In addition to recording seven assists on nine first half goals, the Catamounts turned the ball over just four times in the first 20 minutes, their fewest to date this season.
 
SCOUTING HOWARD
The Bison (3-8) picked up a 71-68 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the team's most recent contest on Dec. 22. Faced with a deficit at halftime, Howard mounted a second half rally in a game highlighted by 19 points from Imani Bryant, who finished one rebound short of a double-double.
 
As a team Howard is averaging 62.1 points per game while surrendering 73.8 on a night-to-night basis. However, HU is one of the top free throw shooting teams in the MEAC, boasting a 71.2 percentage which ranks second in the conference. Te'Shya Heslip paces the offense with 17.3 points per game while Bryant leads the charge with 4.7 boards.
 
Second-year head coach Ty Grace has coached within each of the NCAA's three divisions, including recent stops at New Haven (2013-15), Seton Hall (2009-13) and Ramapo College (2004-06).
 
Howard is 0-3 against common opponents with Vermont, being dealt setbacks by Brown (Nov. 11, 83-78), Michigan (Nov. 18, 109-41) and NJIT (Dec. 16, 70-55).
 
VERMONT VS. THE MEAC
This is Vermont and Howard's first meeting in women's basketball. UVM's only previous action against the MEAC came on Nov. 19, 1999 when the Catamounts pocketed a 71-62 win at Patrick Gymnasium against Maryland Eastern Shore. UVM trailed for only 12 seconds and amassed double figure scoring from Dawn Cressman (19), Morgan Hall (13) and Karalyn Church (12).
 
That season, the Green and Gold cruised to the America East Championship before falling to Tulane in a closely contested NCAA Tournament first round game.
 
DOUBLE THE FUN
UVM has had double-double performances turned in during each of its last two games at Patrick Gymnasium. Most recently, Hanna Crymble registered 11 points and 10 rebounds against Brown (Dec. 8), while Candice Wright chipped in 10 points and 11 boards in a win over Holy Cross (Nov. 30).
 
Four double-doubles were recorded last season, culminating with Hayley Robertson's 20 points and 10 rebounds against UMass Lowell on Feb. 8, 2016. Sydney Smith also accomplished the feat twice.
 
PAIR OF CATAMOUNTS EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES
Following the Catamounts' runner-up performance at the TD Bank Classic (Nov. 25-26), both Smith and Crymble were named to the event's All-Tournament Team. Each logged 12 points in UVM's opening round win over NJIT (Nov. 25) and Crymble chipped in 11 points in the Championship Game against Milwaukee (Nov. 26).
 
HERE'S THE POINT
Crymble's weekend at the TD Bank Classic marked the rookie's third and fourth consecutive games reaching double figures in scoring and fifth in Vermont's first six matchups on the season. The four-game streak was the longest by a Catamount freshman since Smith reached double figures in seven straight games from Nov. 25-Dec. 14, 2014.
 
WELCOME TO VERMONT, COACH
A 1997 graduate of West Chester University in Pennsylvania, 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 UVM 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.
 
NEXT UP
America East play is right around the corner for the Catamounts, who open the league schedule just after ringing in 2017. UVM will host conference rival Maine on Wednesday, Jan. 4 in a 7 p.m. game at Patrick Gymnasium.

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