Junior Morgan Hall posted her fourth double-double of the season, and second straight, with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the University of Vermont past visiting Saint Joseph’s, 60-55, in the second round of the WNIT.
Played in front of a sellout crowd of 3,228, the Catamounts posted just their second national postseason victory in the program’s history. UVM (23-8) will travel Blacksburg, Virginia to take on Virginia Tech (20-10) in the quarterfinals of the WNIT. The game is slated for Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00pm at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies advanced to the quarterfinals with a 68-52 victory over George Washington on Saturday night.
As has been the case in Vermont’s last four games, the contest was tightly contested throughout the 40 minutes. The first half featured seven ties. Saint Joseph’s was able to pull out to a seven point lead with behind a 9-3 run in the final four minutes of the first half and took a 36-29 lead into the locker room. The Hawk’s All-American and Atlantic-10 Player of the Year, Susan Moran, netted 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 performance in the first stanza.
In the second half, the Catamounts focused their efforts on the defensive end of the floor. Saint Joseph’s (24-8) pushed its lead to nine, 42-33, with 17:23 left in the game. However, Vermont reeled in the Hawks with a 14-5 run, capped by a lay-up by Hall, to knot the game up, 47-47, with 11:27 left to play. Then, at the 9:59 mark, senior Jen MacAulay came off the bench to score five quick points, her only points of the game, and give the Catamounts a three-point lead, 52-49, one they would never give up. Saint Joseph’s shot just 1-for-16 over the final eight minutes of the game, allowing Vermont to pull out to a five-point lead and pick up the 60-55 victory.
UVM held Saint Joseph’s to just 19 points in the second half and 22.6% shooting (7-for-31). Meanwhile, the Catamounts shot 50% from the floor and Hall and senior Libby Smith netted eight second-half points each.
Sophomore Aaron Yantzi poured in a team-high 18 points for Vermont. Smith finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Katie McNamara collected a team-high 11 rebounds.
Moran, a senior, led the Saint Joseph’s with a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomores Stephanie Graff and Terraya Richardson added eight points each.