University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
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Dartmouth College
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| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth | 26 | 18 | 44 |
| New Hampshire | 29 | 31 | 60 |
Women's Basketball Downs Intrastate Rival Dartmouth, 60-44
12/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.H. -- Three players reached double figures in scoring as the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team notched a 60-44 victory over intrastate rival Dartmouth College on Thursday night at Lundholm Gymnasium.
UNH improves to 6-3 in the non-conference win while Dartmouth falls to 5-5. The Wildcats have won five consecutive decisions against their in-state rivals, matching the all-time series win streak.
Junior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) led the way for the Wildcats with a game-high 16 points while dishing out three assists. Senior forward Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) was one rebound shy of a double-double, recording 14 points and nine boards. Freshman guard Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) set new career-highs in points (13) and 3-pointers made (three). Senior guard Ariel Gaston (Toledo, Ohio) turned in eight points, six rebounds, three helpers and two steals.
Sophomore guard Katie Vareika led Dartmouth with 12 points off the bench. Classmate Fanni Szabo pitched in eight points while rookie Andi Norman notched seven points.
New Hampshire shot .460 (23 of 50) from the floor while Dartmouth was held to a .375 (18 of 48) clip. UNH won the battle in the paint, outscoring (36-14) and outrebounding (37-27) the visitors.
The Wildcats were first to get on the scoreboard as Kilpatrick tallied a layup at 18:46. Dartmouth came right back on the next possession as freshman guard Amber Mixon drilled a 3-pointer. The two sides traded points as the score rose to 8-7 in favor of UNH five minutes into play.
New Hampshire continued to register baskets, but Dartmouth matched the scoring as the home team owned a one-point advantage at 17-16 midway through the first frame.
The Wildcats increased their advantage to 21-16 as layups from Gaston and Kilpatrick fell at 8:27 and 5:07 respectively. Kilpatrick bolstered the lead with a pair of free throws, giving Dartmouth a seven-point deficit with 3:57 left in the first half.
The Big Green narrowed down UNH's lead with contributions from Vareika, Szabo and freshman center Oliva Smith. However, Belanger punctuated the first half with a floater while fouled to give New Hampshire a 29-26 lead into the break.
After shooting .458 from the field in the first half, Dartmouth was held to just a .292 clip in the second frame. Dartmouth aimed to overtake the lead to begin the second half as it slimmed down UNH's lead to just one point at 31-30. Despite that, the Wildcats clamped down on the Big Green rally and never conceded the lead for the remainder of the match. A Simpson triple sparked a 10-point run for New Hampshire, upping the advantage to 41-30 less than six minutes into the half.
Dartmouth cut down the double-digit lead to single digits on an Emily Slagle jumper, but UNH responded with a 5-0 flurry powered by Belanger as New Hampshire led 46-36 with 9:06 left in regulation.
The Big Green chipped away at the UNH lead again, tallying baskets from Szabo and junior forward Lakin Roland. However, the Wildcats answered the visitors' run again. New Hampshire engineered a 9-0 rush to build its largest lead of the night at 55-39 with 5:53 left in the second stanza.
UNH would not relinquish its double-digit lead for the remainder of regulation as it prevailed over Dartmouth for the fifth consecutive time in the Granite State rivalry.
New Hampshire visits Northeastern University for non-conference action Monday, Dec. 22 (2 p.m.). UNH's next home game is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 31 (3 p.m.) against Bryant University. For tickets visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.
Check out UNHWildcats.com or follow the Wildcats via social media on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UNHWildcats), Twitter (@UNHWildcats), YouTube (www.youtube.com/UNHAthletics) and Instagram (@UNHWildcats) for the latest news and information on all 20 varsity sports. For additional information on the UNH women's basketball team, follow the 'Cats on Twitter (@UNHHoops) and Instagram (@unhwbb).
