West Lafayette, Ind. – Vermont outscored Purdue 44-30 in the second half to take down the host Boilermakers and advance to the Fab 4 of the WNIT on Monday night with a 67-59 victory.
The Catamounts advanced to the Fab 4 for the first time in program history. It also marked the furthest any America East women’s basketball program has advanced into a postseason tournament in league history. Vermont will face off against Saint Louis in the Fab 4 on April 3 at home in Patrick Gymnasium at 6 p.m.
Vermont shot 48.1 percent for the game, while limiting Purdue to just 37.5 percent shooting and 1-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Catamounts were also a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
Indiana native Emma Utterback went off for 20 points, six assists and two rebounds in her home state while Bella Vito came through with 174 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Keira Hanson added 17 points and five rebounds.
How It Happened:
- Vermont jumped out to a 6-2 lead, though Purdue outscored the Catamounts 15-6 over the final 7:30 of the period for a 17-12 lead.
- The two teams went back-and-forth in the second quarter, and Hanson connected on a three with 2:17 left to cut the deficit to just four. A Boilermaker jumped provided a 29-23 edge at the break.
- An 7-2 run by the Catamounts cut the deficit to 31-30 and they finally tied it 34-34 on a pair of Vito free throws with 4:00 minutes left. UVM grabbed a 41-38 lead, though Purdue tied it up before a Hanson jumper with 12 seconds left provided a 43-41 advantage.
- Vermont tried to pull away early, but the Boilermakers wouldn’t go away. They trailed just 51-48 before the Catamounts went on a 12-5 run to stretch their lead to 63-55 with just 40 seconds left. UVM hit all of its free throws in the final 30 seconds to hold on for the win.
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