University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
8-4, 0-0AE
Bryant University
7-4, 0-0NEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryant | 23 | 34 | 57 |
| New Hampshire | 28 | 26 | 54 |
Gaston Posts Double-Double in 57-54 New Year's Eve Loss to Bryant
12/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.H. -- Ariel Gaston (Toledo, Ohio) scored 20 points to set a career-high for the second straight game, but the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 57-54 non-conference loss to Bryant University at Lundholm Gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon.
UNH, which opens America East conference action at Stony Brook on Saturday (12 p.m.), slipped to 8-4 to close out the 2014 non-conference schedule. Bryant ended a three-game skid to improve to 7-4 overall and 3-0 all-time against New Hampshire.
With the score tied at 54 apiece with three seconds left, Bryant's Tiersa Winder drilled the game-winning 3-pointer from the right wing to lift the Bulldogs to the 57-54 win.
Gaston, who set her previous benchmark with 18 points in a win at Manhattan on Dec. 28, shot 7-for-10 from the floor and added 10 rebounds to notch her third double-double of the season; she also dished out a game-high five assists and played turnover-free basketball in 37 minutes. Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) also reached double digits for the Wildcats with 13 points on 5 of 9 shooting. Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) turned in eight points and a career-high four steals.
Breanna Rucker notched a double-double effort with 16 points and 12 rebounds on 6 of 11 shooting from the floor lead the Bulldogs while chipping in four steals. Winder also logged 16 points while Morgan Olander rounded out the double-digit scorers for Bryant with 10.
The Wildcats shot 21 of 53 (.391) from the floor and matched their season-high in 3-pointers made on 9 of 23 attempts (.391). The Bulldogs tallied 23 of 59 shots (.396) from the field and connected on 6 of 21 bids (.286) from beyond the arc. Bryant won the battle in the paint, outscoring (30-28) and outrebounding (37-36) New Hampshire. The visitors were advantageous of second chance points, tallying 14 in comparison to UNH's five.
Jenniqua Bailey opened up the scoring in the game for Bryant on a 3-pointer. The Bulldogs followed up with a layup from Rucker to take a quick 5-0 lead out of the gate.
UNH erased the five-point deficit with a swift 6-2 run. Gaston managed to penetrate the paint and poured in the layup for the first home team bucket. After a made layup by Olander, Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) resumed the UNH scoring with a mid-range jumper. Gaston made her second layup of the game as Simpson swiped possession from the Bulldogs and found Gaston on the fastbreak. The basket made it a one-point game at 7-6 with 15:55 to go in the first half.
After a Bailey layup, the Wildcats retaliated with a 3-pointer from Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) to knot the game at 9-9. The two sides traded field goals as the score rose to 11-11 with 12:47 remaining in the first half.
New Hampshire captured the lead for the first time in the match, churning out 13 consecutive points. However, Bryant halted the home-team scoring flurry with a 3-pointer from Rucker to bring the deficit down to single digits at 23-14 with 7:27 left in the opening stanza.
The 'Cats momentarily regained their double-digit lead as Belanger netted a layup at the 7:02 mark. Despite that, the Bulldogs constructed a 7-0 run to pull within four points at 25-21 in the waning moments of the first frame. Gaston buried a trey to break the scoring spell for the 'Cats, but Maureen Leahy of Bryant notched the last basket of the half as UNH led 28-23 into the break.
Bryant looked to recapture the lead quickly to begin the second half as the visitors converted on consecutive field goals. However, Simpson countered for the 'Cats as the freshman connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite an 8-0 spurt and give the home team a 36-27 edge.
UNH muscled their way to a double-digit advantage at 42-32, punctuated by a fastbreak layup from Kilpatrick at the 12:46 mark.
The Bulldogs would storm back, building a 12-3 run - elapsing over 5 minutes, 11 seconds - to make it a one-point game at 45-44 with 7:35 left in regulation.
Bryant continued its scoring barrage as a Winder layup fell at 6:05 to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the match since 14:14 of the opening half. New Hampshire managed to tie the game for the third time on the day at 48-48 with 3:58 showing on the clock.
The visitors turned to Winder as she launched a shot from beyond the arc, going through the rim with two minutes remaining in the match. New Hampshire responded with a 3-pointer of its own, coming from Gaston at the 1:06 mark to knot the score again at 51 apiece.
Bryant again generated a three-point play, this time coming in the old-fashion way from Rucker. The Wildcats turned to Gaston again for a basket as the senior registered a layup while fouled with 30 seconds left. She converted the free throw to complete the three-point play as Bryant inbounded the ball and quickly called timeout.
The Bulldogs relied on Winder again for another 3-pointer as she connected from beyond the arc for the third time in game to give the Bulldogs a 57-54 advantage with three seconds left on the clock. Following a breather from the New Hampshire bench, Belanger heaved a desperation trey as time expired. However, the bid was off the mark as Bryant escaped Lundholm Gymnasium with the win.
New Hampshire starts its America East schedule, traveling to Stony Brook University to kick off a single admission basketball doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 3 (12 p.m.). The UNH men's basketball team takes the court to tussle with the Seawolves at 2 p.m. The Wildcats return to Lundholm Gymnasium to host the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for conference action Saturday, Jan. 10 (1 p.m.). For tickets, visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.
Please visit 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).
