Twin State Rivalry Renewed for 55th Consecutive Year

DARTMOUTH (0-6) at
VERMONT (6-3)

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 • 7 P.M.
PATRICK GYMNASIUM (3,228), BURLINGTON, Vt.
Video: America East Network
Audio: 101.3 ESPN (Burlington)
Announcer: Sam Hyman (play-by-play)
Live Stats: UVMAthletics.com
All-Time Series vs. Vermont: Big Green lead 57-43
Last Meeting vs. Catamounts: Dec. 2, 2015 — Vermont 68, Dartmouth 63

Twin State Rivalry
• Dartmouth will try to end a pair of losing streaks in its road game at Vermont — its longest season-opening skid in 10 years and a personal eight-game slide against the Catamounts.
• Last time out the Big Green suffered an 88-70 defeat at Boston College as the Eagles shot a robust 55.7 percent overall with 11 three-pointers.
• Sophomore Evan Boudreaux scored a season-high 23 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. He has led Dartmouth in both categories in all six games this year.
• Coming off the bench for the first time this year, junior Taylor Johnson enjoyed his most productive game with a season-best 14 points.
• Junior Miles Wright had a nice homecoming as the Boston native had 12 points and six boards.
• A pair of rookies got their first game action in Will Emery and James Foye. Emery went to the foul line twice, hitting 3-of-4, plus had an offensive rebound in three minutes.
• While Dartmouth outrebounded a team for just the second time this year, 33-27, it also matched a season high with 20 turnovers.
• The Big Green also had four blocks in the game, three by Ike Ngwudo, after swatting just two shots in the first five games combined.

Series vs. Vermont
• In 100 games to date with the Catamounts, Dartmouth has the advantage, 57-43.
• This is the 55th consecutive year they have met on the hardwood, the longest streak for any Dartmouth non-conference opponent.
• The Catamounts have had the upper hand with a 35-14 mark over the past 43 seasons, while winning the last eight and 16 of the last 17.
• The lone Big Green win in the last 16 years came at Leede Arena eight years ago, 76-75.
• The Big Green dominated the series through 1972, winning 44 of 51 games against Vermont.
• The game last year was not decided until the final minute of play as Dartmouth trailed by just two after a Miles Wright three-pointer with 1:07 to play. But Vermont hit 5-of-6 free throws to seal the 68-63 victory. Wright finished the game with his only career double-double (18 pts, 10 reb).

Scouting the Catamounts
• The favorite to win the America East Conference, Vermont is off to a good start at 6-3. Its three losses have come against Providence, Houston and No. 20 South Carolina.
• Vermont has had one common opponent with Dartmouth, defeating Marist, 76-72. It has also beaten Ivy League foe Yale at the buzzer, 67-65.
• The Catamounts lead the America East in FT percentage (.741) and FG percentage defense (.407) while ranking second in FG percentage (.471).
• Vermont has three players averaging at least 10 points a game in Payton Henson (12.7), Ernie Duncan (10.9) and Anthony Lamb (10.8).
• Both Henson (6.2 rpg) and Lamb (5.8) are also Vermont's top rebounders, while Duncan is the team's leading marksman with 23 triples at a 41.1 percent clip.
• Trae Bell-Haynes is a solid point guard, dishing out 4.0 assists a night while scoring 8.7 points and shooting 50 percent from the floor.
• Dre Wills and Drew Urquhart come off the bench to provide a combined 10.6 points a night while hitting 60.3 percent of their shots.
• John Becker (Catholic '90) is 116-66 in his sixth year at the helm of the Catamounts, taking the squad to the postseason in each of his first five seasons, including the 2012 NCAA Tournament. In 2014, he was the America East Coach of the Year.

Game on America East Network
The Dartmouth game at Vermont will be streamed live for free on the America East Network with Sam Hyman calling the action. Visit AmericaEast.tv to find the link to the stream.

Skid Reaches Six
The 88-70 loss at Boston College extended Dartmouth's season-opening skid to six games, its longest to start a season in 10 years. The 2006-07 squad also dropped its first six before picking up a victory on the road at James Madison, 74-70. Should the Big Green falter against the Catamounts, it would be the longest losing streak to start a season since the 1977-78 team dropped eight in a row.

Evan Almighty
After earning the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a spot on the USBWA All-District I Team last year, sophomore Evan Boudreaux is putting together quite the sequel thus far. The 6-7 forward has led the team in both scoring and rebounding in each of the first six contests, most recently with a season-high 23 points and six boards at Boston College on Dec. 3. His 18.2 points per game ranks third in the Ivy League, while his 8.5 rebounds a night lead the loop.

Taylor Made Shooting
Junior Taylor Johnson started each of the first five contests, but shot just 43.8 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from long range after posting percentages of 52.3 and 46.7, respectively, a year ago. Against Boston College, he came off the bench and found his old stroke, hitting 4-of-5 overall, including both three-pointers, and all four free throws for a season-high 14 points.

More Rookie Debuts
Through five games, three of the six freshmen on the roster had played in at least two games. At Boston College, it was time for Will Emery and James Foye to make their collegiate debuts. Emery grabbed an offensive rebound and converted 3-of-4 free throws in three minutes of action, and Foye did not have any stats in two minutes on the court.

Block Party
Dartmouth had blocked just two shots in the first five games combined, but the Big Green tripled that total by swatting four shots at Boston College. Three of those four blocks came courtesy of Ike Ngwudo, which is one more than the senior had in his career entering the game.

Boudreaux Getting Board
With his six rebounds at Boston College on Dec. 3, Evan Boudreaux led the Big Green in rebounding for the 18th consecutive game in which he has played. His first of the game was also the 300th of his career, and he has topped the team on the glass 27 times in 33 games.

Schedules