FINAL SCORE: Howard 64, Vermont 57
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hanna Crymble tied a career-high with 17 points and Kylie Butler added a season-best 12 of her own, but Vermont had difficulty combatting 17 second-chance points as the Catamounts fell to Howard 64-57 at Burr Gymnasium on Friday.
 
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UVM needed little time to build up momentum out of the gate. Butler set up Crymble for a layup in the paint, then added a 3-pointer in the first two minutes of the game. Soon after, the latter stretched the Catamounts' opening run to 7-0 after draining an additional layup. Howard managed to claw its way back, in part by constructing a 9-2 run en route to a 14-12 lead at the end of the frame.
 
The Green and Gold were quick to respond as the squad proceeded to shoot 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from the field in the second quarter, taking a 29-22 advantage into halftime. UVM also had a strong defensive showing in the period, holding the Bison scoreless for over three minutes in the waning stages of the half. That sequence partially enveloped a 13-5 Catamounts run that included support from Kallie Banker, Crymble, Lauren Handy, Kristina White and Courtney Wright.
 
HU netted the first eight points coming out of the break and buried 14 in the paint in the third quarter. The period was closely contested as neither side led by more than five after Erin Blaine hit from the charity stripe with 9:51 on the clock.
 
A combined eight lead changes took place during the second and third quarters.
 
The Bison began to pull away with the onset of the fourth quarter despite a valiant fight from UVM. Although White and Jessica Fuller contributed from beyond the arc, the Catamounts had a tough time on the glass as Howard came down with eight defensive rebounds. With just 2:52 remaining in regulation, Sydni Johnson put the game out of reach with a jumper for HU, which later stretched its advantage to as much as 10.
 
"We just can't get over the mental hump that we can finish games," said head coach Chris Day. "But we will figure it out and try to start conference play on a positive note against a very good Maine team."
 
Conference play now stands on the horizon for UVM, which opens America East action on Wednesday, Jan. 4, playing host to Maine at 7 p.m. from Patrick Gymnasium.


Tyler Terens contributed to this report.