BURLINGTON, VT – Siena Women's Basketball went toe-to-toe with the hometown team in the championship game of the 2022 TD Bank Classic on Sunday afternoon in Burlington, Vermont. The Saints (3-4) mounted a late comeback, but ultimately took a 57-51 loss at Vermont (4-3) inside Patrick Gymnasium.
Taking the court against the Catamounts for the first time since 2007 and doing so in the TD Bank Classic Championship Game for the first time ever, the Saints four themselves in an early 11-2 hole but quickly battles back to come within one and trail by four at the conclusion of the first quarter.
Working on the strength of eight three-point shots, Vermont kept the Saints away with a six-point run into the second half and a pair of late threes from senior standout Emma Utterback to end the half. Siena converted on the first bucket of the second half to cut the lead to four, but Vermont stayed up by at least six and as many as ten thereafter.
A clutch layup from sophomore Valencia Fontenelle-Posson put the Saints just two points away from the tie with under a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, but a drive in the lane the other way from Utterback sealed the deal and gave Vermont its first TD Bank Classic title since 2011, with Utterback posting a game-high 20 points to claim Tournament MVP honors.
Fontenelle-Posson was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 14 points through two games (19 & 9), while freshman London Gamble matched a career-high with 11 bench points to lead all Siena scorers. At least eight different Saints found the bucket for the third straight game, but the team was limited to 38 percent from the field and just 1-3 from beyond-the-arc. Siena forced 22 Vermont turnovers, but committed 18 themselves, and fell despite only four Vermont players getting in the scoring column.
After wrapping up its second-longest road stretch of the season, Siena will return home to the UHY Center for its next two contests, beginning with the renewal of a series against Dartmouth on Saturday, December 3 at 2 PM.
