WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The Catamounts play their final home game of the non-conference schedule when they host the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils on Thursday morning (Dec. 21) on Tom Brennan Court at Patrick Gymnasium. The 11 a.m. tilt is UVM's second-to-last game of the 2017 calendar year before Vermont heads to Miami to play Florida International on Dec. 30.
 
Thursday's special morning start time marks the annual Catamount Classroom, presented by Vermont's 529 college savings program (the Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan), administered by VSAC. All local middle and elementary schools are invited to attend this game, free of charge for a day full of education and basketball.
  
The game against Central Connecticut airs online on ESPN3, with Alastair Ingram on play-by-play joined court-side by former UVM men's basketball player, Bernie Cieplicki. An audio broadcast is also available on CatamounTV.com and News/Talk 620 WVMT-AM. Pregame coverage with Logan Ratick starts at 10:40 a.m., with tip-off set for 11 a.m.
 
RELATED LINKS
Video | Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets for Thursday's (Dec. 21) home game against Central Connecticut by visiting UVMathletics.com/Tickets. 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 game days, tickets can be purchased beginning one hour before tip-off in the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby.
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
The most recent contest resulted in a 71-66 loss Northeastern on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 17) at Patrick Gym. UVM led for most of the second quarter and a solid portion of the third before the game slipped away.
 
The Huskies outscored the Catamounts by two points in the first quarter and by one point in each of the final three periods.
 
Hanna Crymble put forth another major effort for the Catamounts. The sophomore registered double-figures for the ninth time this season. Crymble scored 32 points while adding six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. She was five points shy of her career-high, which she set earlier this season.  
 
Vermont has dropped seven consecutive games, including five at Patrick Gym. The last win came at home on Nov. 17 against Howard, the game in which Crymble set registered a career-high 37 points in that contest.
 
Two other Catamounts fared well offensively against the Huskies. Kristina White scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. The red-shirt senior captain also collected a game-high four steals. White has scored 25 points in her last two starts.
 
After a four-game absence, Sydney Smith made her return to the court for UVM. She posted 11 points (7-8 FT), grabbed four rebounds, gathered two assists and stole the ball twice.
 
Crymble, White and Smith combined for 57 of Vermont's 66 points in the loss. White also knocked down four of the Catamounts' six three-point field goals.
 
Against Northeastern, Vermont shot 46% from the field, 27% from three-point range and 75% from the free throw line as a team. UVM won the rebounding battle 32-26.
 
Out of Vermont's nine losses, this was the third defeat that came by a single-digit point total. UVM's only wins this season have come against Norwich (Nov. 15) and Howard (Nov. 17).
 
SCOUTING CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Beryl Piper '87 is in her 11th season as head coach of her alma mater. It is her first collegiate head coaching job. After her standout college career with the Blue Devils, Piper earned a master's degree from Southern Connecticut State University.
 
Prior to landing the CCSU head coaching job, Piper led New Britain High School (Conn.) to 11 straight winning seasons and 200-49 record in that span. The Trumbull, Connecticut native also was a member of the Blue Devils' winningest season in program history, when they went 24-4 her senior season in 1986-87.
 
Last season, Piper's Blue Devils went 11-20 overall and 10-10 in CAA play. This season, CCSU is off to an 0-10 start, including an 0-6 record on the road.
 
Three of CCSU's losses have come to America East opponents: vs. Albany (Nov. 27), at Hartford (Dec. 6) and at Stony Brook (Dec. 17).
 
The only two Blue Devils averaging 30 or more minutes per game are the only CCSU players to average double-figures through the first 10 games of this season. Both of these players are juniors: Kiana Patterson (12.8 PPG) and Andi Lydon (12.1).
 
Aside from Patterson and Lydon, graduate guard Morgan Johnson is the only other Blue Devil to start all 10 games.
 
Two freshmen have started for CCSU this season: Ashley Berube (6x) and Emma McCamus (4x).
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Central Connecticut owns an 11-10 all-time advantage against Vermont. UVM lost the first ever meeting in New Britain, Connecticut on Jan. 12, 1982.
 
The Catamounts won five straight meetings with the Blue Devils between 1990-2003.
 
The most recent meeting resulted in a 78-76 CCSU overtime win in New Britain on Nov. 18, 2016. For the Catamounts, Candice Wright scored 19 points to lead the way. She was aided by Crymble's 13 points and seven rebounds, along with Smith's 10 point, eight rebound, five assist, two block and two steal performance.
 
In that game, Kiana Patterson led the Blue Devils with 12 points, but CCSU used a balanced attack to slide by UVM.
 
UVM won the last meeting in Burlington by a 79-63 score on Nov. 13, 2015. Smith posted a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Candice Wright added 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks of her own.
 
HISTORY BEFORE OUR EYES
Candice Wright's five blocked shots against Rider on Friday, Dec. 1 placed her in sole possession for first-all time in career blocks by a Catamount. The junior broke Katie McNamara's ('05) record of 102 blocked shots on her first rejection of the contest. Wright has recorded six blocks over the last three games and now has 113 blocked shots for her career.
  
DIALING FROM LONG DISTANCE
As a team, Vermont is shooting 27% from downtown and averaging seven made three-pointers per game. Out of UVM's 622 field goal attempts through the first 11 games of the regular season, just over 45% have come from behind the three-point line. Individually, the most proficient three-point shooting Catamounts have been Cassidy Derda (37%), Crymble (33%) and White (29%).
  
NEXT UP
Vermont returns to action for the final time in the 2017 calendar year when it returns to Miami, Florida for the second time in as many months. UVM plays its final non-conference tune-up at Florida International on Saturday, Dec. 30.
 
Logan Ratick handles the radio broadcast for Vermont's showdown in the Sunshine State. Pregame coverage for the Catamounts' battle with the FIU Panthers starts at 12:40 p.m., followed by the game at 1 p.m. on CatamounTV.com and News/Talk 620 WVMT-AM.