WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The 8-seeded Catamounts gear up this week for the quarterfinal round of the 2016 America East Tournament on Saturday (March 5) at Binghamton University. Vermont will take on the 1-seed Albany in the first round of games at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Events Center.
 
Audio coverage begins 20 minutes prior to tip-off on SportsJuice.com with Jamie Scavotto calling the action. All tournament matchups can also be viewed for free via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Video | Audio | Championship Central
 
WRIGHT PLACE, WRIGHT TIME
Candice Wright has been a force in the post for Vermont during her first season at UVM. Wright has reached double-figure scoring five times, including two of the last three conference matchups.
 
The Cambridge, Ontario native has tallied 48 blocks through 29 games to compile the most swats in a single season in UVM program history, five more than the record set by Kristen Shaeffer in 1989. Wright also ranks 18th all-time for career-blocks at Vermont, just two shy of assistant coach Courtnay Pilypaitis, and sits second in America East averaging 1.8 blocks per game.
 
Against New Hampshire (Feb. 25), the rookie paced all Catamounts in scoring as she set a new career-high with 21 points and went 7-for-8 from the field. In the last two games, Wright has combined to go 14-for-17 from the foul line.
 
SHARP SHOOTING SMITH
Sydney Smith has continued to rise in the Vermont record books with outside shooting during her sophomore campaign. Smith has produced 58 three-point baskets this season to pile up 122 career triples in two seasons, ranking 10th all-time in program history and ninth all-time in a single season.
 
Smith also posted a career-best seven three-pointers against Quinnipiac on Nov. 28 as she recorded her second double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds. From the charity stripe, Smith has connected on 83.6-percent (46-of-55) of her attempts from the line for the ninth-best free throw percentage in a single season at Vermont.
 
DAILY DOUBLE
Freshman guard Hayley Robertson earned her first conference award on Monday as she was tabbed America East Rookie of the Week. Robertson helped lead Vermont to back-to-back conference wins over UNH and Stony Brook to close the regular season this past week.
 
The Toronto, Ontario native averaged 9.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in the two wins and played in 76 of a 80 possible minutes on the court.
 
At New Hampshire last Thursday, Robertson dished out seven helpers, one short of her career-high, added nine points and pulled down seven boards. In UVM's home win over Stony Brook on Sunday, the freshman tied her career-best with 10 rebounds and chipped in nine points.
 
Robertson posted her first career double-double against UMass Lowell on Feb. 8 with her first double-digit rebounding performance, and she also eclipsed the 20-point mark for the first time.
 
LAST TIME OUT | CatamounTV Highlights
Vermont held Stony Brook to just three points in the fourth quarter and less than 25-percent shooting for the game, defeating the Seawolves 44-37 in a defensive battle on Senior Day at Patrick Gym on Sunday. Vermont improved to 9-20 (4-12) with wins in its final two regular season games, while Stony Brook fell to 16-13 (8-8).

Lauren Handy paced all scorers for Vermont as she reached double-figure scoring with 10 points, two blocks and a pair of rebounds. Hayley Robertson was one point shy of her second double-double as she chipped in nine points and a team-best 10 rebounds, while Kylie Atwood and Sydney Smith each added eight points. Senior Gracia Hutson held the Seawolves' leading scorer Brittany Snow to 0-for-6 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds.
 
Back-to-back three balls from Atwood and Handy gave the Catamounts a five-point edge (25-20) midway through the second quarter. Handy followed up with a jumper from left of the lane as Vermont put together a 29-26 advantage headed into the locker rooms at the half.
 
Kylie Butler drew an and-one foul on a layup, and followed with a pair from the charity stripe. Vermont's defense held Stony Brook scoreless over the final eight minutes, while also limiting the Seawolves to just 11-percent (2-for-18) from three-point range. Butler went 5-for-5 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
The top-seed UAlbany women's basketball team was the 2015-16 America East regular season co-champion with Maine, picking up a share of the title for the fourth straight year.
 
Shereesha Richards has joined elite company in the Division I ranks, being one of just three active women's basketball players with over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
 
Ranking fifth in Division I in field goal percentage, Albany is shooting 48.4-percent from the floor, while three Danes, Richards, Zakiya Saunders and Tiana-Jo Carter, all shoot above 52.1-percent.
 
Saunders leads the America East and stands third in Division I with 7.4 assists per game, over two higher than any other player in the conference. She has dished out 206 assists, a program record, through 28 games and is seventh in program history with 337 career assists.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Vermont and Albany are knotted at 16 apiece in the all-time head-to-head series. The last time out against Albany on Feb. 6, the Catamounts fell to the Danes 75-40 at Patrick Gym.
 
WHO'S NEXT
If Vermont beats Albany on Saturday, the Catamounts would compete in the conference semifinals on Sunday (March 6) in Binghamton with audio coverage on SportsJuice.com and video coverage on ESPN3.