BURLINGTON, Vt. – Delaney Richason drove to the basket and went off glass for the game-winner with 5.1 seconds left in regulation Friday night as the Catamounts defeated LIU 52-51 in non-conference action from Patrick Gym on Military Appreciation Night presented by Milton CAT. With the win UVM improved to 3-4 this season while the Sharks fell to 0-8.
 
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Highlights
Photo Gallery
Postgame Video: Olson
Video: Richason Game-Winner
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"It was a gritty win for our program and a step in the right direction to help us learn how to finish games," Mayer Women's Basketball Coach Alisa Kresge said. "We fought through some second half adversity and still found a way to win."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts stormed out of the gate Friday night using a 19-3 run to blow the game open in the early going. Josie Larkins hit back-to-back three-pointers and had 10 points in the first 5:15 of the contest. UVM carried a 23-7 lead into the second quarter.
• The Sharks opened the second frame with a 5-0 run to cut the UVM advantage to 11. The Catamounts answered right back with a 9-0 run over 2:39 fueled by five points from Anna Olson to extend the lead back to 20. The teams played an even second quarter at 13 apiece and UVM took a 36-20 lead into the break after an Emma Utterback jumper in the final seconds of the half.
• LIU hit the first eight shots from the field in the third quarter erasing the deficit and tying the contest at 37 with 2:50 left. Richason and Olson converted layups in the final minutes of the quarter and UVM held a 41-39 edge heading to the final 10 minutes.
• The teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter until Kiara Bell gave the Sharks its first lead of the game with 3:44 remaining 49-47. On the ensuing possession Olson converted a three-point play to give UVM the lead again.
• LIU took the lead back with 1:34 left in the contest after Emaia O'Brien made a steal and converted a layup to make it 51-50 for the Sharks. After a couple of empty possessions for each team UVM had 19 seconds left to find an answer. After initially being stopped by the Sharks defense UVM called timeout with nine seconds left.
• From just inside the three-point line Richason took the inbound pass from Larkins. Richason up-faked and used her defenders' hesitation to drive into the paint. In traffic, she used the glass with her left hand to reestablish the UVM lead for good with 5.1 seconds left on the clock.
• With several fouls to give UVM fouled LIU at every inbounds pass cutting the clock to .7 seconds remaining. With .7 remaining LIU's Erykah Russell got a look at a tip-in in the paint but Aryana Dizon and Richason defended tightly with their hands straight up and the shot fell harmlessly wide.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• First year Bella Vito set a new career-high with six points. She also added three rebounds and one steal.
• First year Aryana Dizon blocked a game-high two shots in six minutes of game action.
• Vermont's 23 first quarter points were it second-highest total of the season. UVM is 2-0 this season when scoring 20 or more points in the opening frame.
• With tonight's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Foodbank as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Vermont Mutual has committed to donating $15,000 to Vermont Foodbank for the 2021 season. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.
• Tonight's game-worn military appreciation jerseys are being auctioned off to support the Josh Pallotta Fund.Bidding starts at $125 per jersey at https://uvmathletics.com/auctions/. The auction will end on Friday, December 10 at noon.  

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont will host Loyola Chicago at noon on Sunday, all the action will air live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen live on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College on WVMT. Fans can also listen online at Catamounts All-Access with the new voice of the Catamounts Cooper Boardman on the call.  
 
Sunday is the Catamounts annual Poster Day presented by UVM Print & Mail. Following the game, the student-athletes will sign autographs on the court.

Rise to the Top is the presenting sponsor of Vermont women's basketball