FINAL SCORE: Vermont 59, Saint Michael's 49
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermont defeated Saint Michael's, 59-49, Wednesday evening at Patrick Gym. Catherine Gilwee led the Catamounts with 14 points.
COACH'S QUOTE
"I'm really pleased with how we pulled it out in the second half," said Mayer Women's Basketball Head Coach Maureen Magarity. "A lot of credit to St. Michael's; I thought they played terrific. They really came ready, prepared, ready to play. Shannon did a great job with them. Obviously they made a lot of shots in the first half, but I thought our defense definitely adjusted in the second half, and that's what really fueled our offense. Got some great contributions from a lot of people today, which was really great to see. Madison gave us a huge spark off the bench, and we got to mix up a lot of different lineups."
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Saint Michael's opened the game with an 8-2 run through the 6:31 mark of the first quarter. Bella Franchi opened the scoring with a three-pointer, followed by a layup and another three-pointer from Margaret Montplaisir.
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The Catamounts responded with a 9-3 run to close the first quarter. Gilwee started the run with a pull-up jumper, followed by a three-pointer from Jacklynn Hosier, a turnaround layup by Savanna Creal, and a jumper from Neta Mayshar to tie the game at 11-11 heading into the second quarter.
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At the 4:30 mark of the second quarter, Saint Michael's held a 20-19 lead after a 9-8 run. Bella Franchi opened the run with a three-pointer, followed by a layup from Ruby Santos and another three-pointer from Natalie Beaudoin. Kelli Cieplicki added a free throw to give the Purple Knights the lead heading into the media timeout.
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Vermont responded with a 7-6 run following the media timeout. Gilwee drilled a three-pointer off an inbounds play, while Lenz converted four consecutive free throws to keep the Catamounts within striking distance.
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Just before halftime, Beaudoin drained a three-pointer to give Saint Michael's a 29-26 lead heading into the break.
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The Catamounts opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run to take the lead. Gilwee drilled a three-pointer off an assist from Lenz, followed by a close-range jumper from Hosier and a driving layup by Sienna Papanastasiou-Thomas, prompting a timeout.
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Vermont closed the third quarter with a 12-7 run. Hosier opened the run with a driving layup, followed by two baskets from Gilwee. Madison Hall capped the run with back-to-back three-pointers.
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The Catamounts closed out the fourth quarter with a 14-13 run to secure the 59-49 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Vermont shot 23-for-56 (41.1%) from the field compared to Saint Michael's 18-for-52 (34.6%).
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The Catamounts pulled in 36 rebounds compared to Saint Michael's 27.
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Gilwee played a team-high 31:31 minutes and led all Catamounts with 14 points. She pulled in three rebounds and dished out three assists.
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Lenz shot a team-best 4-for-5 (80.0%) from the field and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. She finished third on the team with 12 points and also dished out three assists.
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Hall came off the bench to score her first collegiate points, finishing with eight points and two rebounds. She shot 2-for-4 (50.0%) from beyond the arc.
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With today's Win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to the Lund Family Center through the Cat's Win, Community Win's initiative. Vermont Mutual has donated over $5 Million Dollars since launching their Charitable Giving Fund in 2014.
UP NEXT
Vermont will host Keene State on Monday, Nov. 2, in its first regular-season game of the 2026-27 season. The Catamounts will tip off at 6 p.m. ET, with the game streaming live on ESPN+. The radio broadcast will be available via the Varsity Network App with Ryan Zimmerman on the call.
Vermont Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of the 2026-27 Vermont Women's Basketball Season
For more news about the Vermont women's basketball program, follow @UVMwbb on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
