Posted: Feb 20, 2014
Vermont Tech advances with win over St. Joe’s
St. Joseph's (VT)
(8-12,6-6)
54
Vermont Tech
(12-15,8-5)
71
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Joseph's (VT) (8-12,6-6) | 22 | 32 | 54 |
|
Vermont Tech (12-15,8-5) | 31 | 40 | 71 |
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – Vermont Tech College defeated the College of St. Joe's (Vermont) 71-54 in the opening round of the Yankee Small College Conference Elite 8 Tournament to advance to the Final Four. The Knights will face the winner of the 8:00 game between the number one seed Central Maine Community College and eight seeded Unity College.
Vermont Tech was led by Paige Wells, who scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, while teammates Ama Baker and Kaitlin Lyford both scored 15. Haille Burkart came off the bench to score 11 for the Knights.
St. Joe's boasted four players in double-digits, as Ashley Bathalon led the way with 16 points, including four triples. Chontayvia Kennedy and Shaionica Speight both scored 12, while Anastasia Rodriguez dropped ten. Batholon led the Saints on the boards with 15 and also dished out eight assists. Speight turned in a double-double performance with 12, and Nia Gilchrist was in double-digits in rebounds, with 11.
The Saints struggled from the field in the first half, shooting just 25% as Vermont Tech took a 31-22 lead into the locker room. Saint Joe's opened up the second half with a 14-4 run, and tied the game at 41 on a layup by Gilchrist with 12:33 remaining. Speight followed with a rebound to give St. Joe's their first lead since early in the first half. Both teams traded the lead several time over the next few minutes, but Vermont Tech was able to draw the fouls, knocking down seven consecutive free throws to regain the lead.
The Knights were 17-27 from the charity stripe in the second half, closing out regulation with a 15-4 run, eight points of which came on free throws.
UPDATE: Vermont Tech will play Central Maine Community College at noon on Saturday.