WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (8-5, 0-1 AE) will continue conference play when they welcome UMBC (4-8, 1-0 AE) to Patrick Gym in their America East home opener Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Ryan Zimmerman on the radio call on WVMT.
 
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CAT(S) CONTINUE AMONG NATION'S BEST
Emma Utterback is leading the team in scoring this season with 14.5 points per game. She is currently ranked third in the America East in scoring and is 11th in the conference with 40.5 percent shooting from the field. Her scoring average is ranked 200th in the country while her 189 total points is tied for 139th nationally. Utterback is tied for 39th in the country with 62 total assists and her 4.8 assists is 47th nationally. Catherine Gilwee has had a hot shooting start to the season ranking 36th in the nation in three point percentage, 13th in the country in three pointers made per game and her 39 makes is tied for 12th nationally. As a team Vermont is shooting 38.3 percent from three which is 13th in the nation while their 43.0 percent shooting from the field is ranked 94th in the country. Defensively their 56.1 points allowed per game is 39th in the nation while holding teams to just 37.1 percent from the field (84th in the country).
 
NET RANKINGS
The current 2022-23 NET rankings were released on December 30, 2022, with Vermont leading the America East, coming in at 146. Maine followed UVM at 200 while UAlbany rounded out the top three for the America East coming in at 228. Binghamton and NJIT are the only other America East teams in the top 300 coming in at 285 and 300, respectively.
 
HOME CONFERENCE OPENERS
Under Mayer Head Women's Basketball Coach Alisa Kresge, the Catamounts are 2-2 in America East home openers having defeated UAlbany in the 2018-19 season and UMBC in the 2019-20 season. Vermont has dropped their last two conference home openers to UMass Lowell (2020-21) and Maine (2021-22). In conference openers at Patrick Gymnasium under Kresge the Catamounts have been outscored 56.8 to 55.0 in four contests. Across her three America East home openers Utterback is averaging 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. In her three America East home openers Delaney Richason is averaging 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. In her two seasons in Catamount Country Anna Olson is averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in America East home openers.
 
CELEBRATING UTTERBACK'S MILESTONE
Prior to the start of Sunday's contest, the women's basketball program will have a ceremony honoring Emma Utterback who recently reached 1,000 career points. There will be a short presentation at center court starting at 1:55 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS
UMBC enters Sunday's matchup 4-8 overall with a 1-0 record in America East play coming off a victory against Binghamton on December 29th. The Retrievers have victories against Gettysburg, Saint Francis (Bk.), Hartford and Binghamton with losses coming to Virginia, Loyola (Md.), Richmond, Lafayette, Temple, Houston, Mount Saint Mary's and American. UMBC is averaging 58.4 points per game on 38.5 percent shooting from the field and 26.9 percent from three. On the defensive side of the ball the Retrievers are giving 68.6 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting while forcing 14.3 turnovers per game with 6.5 steals and 2.9 blocks per contest. UMBC is led by graduate student KK White who is averaging 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. Fellow graduate student forward Kiara Bell is averaging 10.3 points with a team leading 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Another graduate student Keelah Dixon has had a strong start to the season averaging 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and a team leading 3.0 assists per contest, while shooting a team-high 35.7 percent from three.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
This will be 41st overall matchup between the two teams with Vermont boasting a 22-18 record. The first matchup came in a Vermont loss on January 31, 2004, when UMBC defeated the Catamounts at home 65-55. UMBC holds the longest winning streak in the series having earned seven straight victories from 2014 to 2017. Vermont has swept the season series the past two seasons, having won four straight dating back to February 2020. The past four matchups have all been decided by double-digits with Vermont winning each game by an average score of 66.5 to 48.3. The two teams have only met twice in the America East conference tournament (2007 and 2013) with the two teams splitting their matchups. The last time these two teams met up was on February 19, 2022, at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena where Vermont capture a 59-47 victory. Utterback led all scorers with 20 points to go with three rebounds and five assists, while Anna Olson chipped in 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Dixon added nine points, one assist and one rebound for the Retrievers.
 
UP NEXT
Following Sunday's matchup with the Retrievers Vermont will head back on the road to Rhode Island on Wednesday, January 4. The Catamounts will visit Bryant in an America East clash that is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and Ryan Zimmerman, the voice of Catamounts women's basketball, will be on the radio call on WVMT.