Vermont meets Hartford in America East finals

No. 3 seed Hartford (18-15, 11-7) vs. No. 1 seed Vermont (26-7, 16-2)

America East Conference Tourney Championship, Roy L Patrick Gymnasium, Burlington, Vermont; Saturday, 10 a.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Hartford and Vermont are set to do battle in the Championship of the America East tourney. Vermont swept the two-game regular season series. The teams last went at it on Feb. 8, when the Catamounts shot 47.1 percent from the field en route to a 69-68 victory.

VETERAN PRESENCE: Each team has relied heavily on their seniors this year. Anthony Lamb, Stef Smith and Everett Duncan have collectively accounted for 56 percent of Vermont’s scoring this season and 64 percent of the team’s points over its last five games. For Hartford, Malik Ellison, Traci Carter and Hunter Marks have scored 50 percent of the team’s points this season, including 68 percent of all Hawks points over their last five.

SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Carter has had his hand in 43 percent of all Hartford field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has six field goals and 26 assists in those games.

STREAK STATS: Hartford has won its last three road games, scoring 68 points and allowing 62 points during those contests. Vermont has won its last three home games, scoring an average of 75.7 points while giving up 62.

ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Hawks have recently converted buckets via assists more often than the Catamounts. Vermont has 47 assists on 82 field goals (57.3 percent) across its previous three outings while Hartford has assists on 47 of 74 field goals (63.5 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Vermont defense has allowed only 59.5 points per game to opponents this season, ranking the Catamounts fourth among Division I teams. The Hartford offense has averaged 66.7 points through 33 games (ranked 268th, nationally).