FINAL SCORE: Vermont 63, UNH 59
DURHAM, N.H. – The Catamounts held New Hampshire scoreless for the final 5:46 of the fourth quarter, as Vermont closed the game on a 12-0 run to capture back-to-back wins against the Wildcats 63-59 on Thursday night at Lundholm Gym. UVM ended a seven-game skid and improved to 8-20 (2-13), while New Hampshire fell to 11-17 (5-10) heading into the regular season finale for both teams this weekend.
 
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"I've never questioned the competitiveness of this group and their resolve was rewarded with a great road win tonight," said head coach Lori Gear McBride. "We won the game with great defense over the final six minutes against a team playing on Senior Night and coming off three straight wins, which makes the comeback win even more impressive in my mind."

With the Catamounts down a point late, Candice Wright drew a key blocking foul and connected on a pair from the charity stripe with a minute remaining for a 60-59 advantage, UVM's first lead of the night. Three more points by Sydney Smith in the final 30 seconds secured the win in Vermont's final road game of the regular season, and second of the year over New Hampshire.
 
Candice Wright posted a new career-high with 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds for Vermont. Wright was 7-for-8 from the field and 7-of-9 at the foul line in the best performance of her rookie season. Smith tallied 15 second-half points, piling up 19 total on the night, and added four rebounds and a steal. Hayley Robertson recorded nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Catamounts.
 
Elizabeth Belanger made the most of her Senior Night as she paced all Wildcats with 21 points and three rebounds. Ashley Storey registered 13 points and seven rebounds, while Stephanie Spoto grabbed a game-high 12 boards for UNH.  
 
Wright ended a four minute, first quarter scoring drought for Vermont as she connected down low on a feed from Robertson. Belanger responded with a basket for UNH, but Smith and Wright followed up with a pair of buckets to end the quarter with Vermont trailing 13-8 after 10 minutes.
 
Wright tied up the game for the first time (16-16) on a layup at the 6:57 mark in the second quarter as part of 10-3 UVM run extending from the end of the first period. Belanger connected on a pair from the line to close out the first half as New Hampshire took a 30-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
UVM trailed in the third quarter by as many as 14, but found itself within single-digits (45-39) on six straight points by Wright. Belanger and Storey went on a 7-2 run of their own, but Smith answered back on a buzzer-beating three-ball from the top of the arc to keep the Cats within six (52-46) as the teams headed into the final quarter.
 
Smith drove down the left side of the lane to put Vermont within a single-possession (59-57) at the 3:17 mark, while the Catamounts held UNH scoreless for nearly six minutes at the other end. UVM's strong defensive effort and 12 straight fourth quarter points clinched the road win over the Wildcats 63-59 down the stretch.

"Candice and Sydney were outstanding tonight," McBride added. "Sydney's second half effort probably stands out more but it wouldn't have mattered without Candice's effectiveness the entire game. She's been great for us the last two games and is becoming an effective player on both ends of the floor."

The Catamounts return home on Sunday (Feb. 28) to host Stony Brook on Senior Day during their last regular season matchup. Tip-off against the Seawolves at Patrick Gym is set for 2 p.m.
 
Radio coverage begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram calling the action. All conference games can also be viewed for free via AmericaEast.tv.