University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
14-5, 6-1AE
University of Hartford
10-10, 4-2AE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 39 | 26 | 65 |
| Hartford | 34 | 29 | 63 |
Women's Basketball Extends Winning Streak to Five Games, Edges Out Hartford, 65-63
1/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team extended its season-long winning streak to five games, edging out the University of Hartford with a 65-63 decision Wednesday evening at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.
UNH improves its overall record to 14-5 and 6-1 in America East play with the league win. Hartford drops to 10-10, 4-2. The Wildcats have won four straight games against the Hawks. The closely contested match featured seven tie scores and 10 lead changes.
Junior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) led four 'Cats in double-digit scoring with 16 points. Belanger shot 7 of 14 from the field and was 2 of 3 from 3-point range. Senior guard/forward Sarah-Marie Frankenberger (Gross Gerau, Germany) came off the bench and registered 11 points. Frankenberger converted 4 of 6 attempts from the floor and drained 2 of 3 shots from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) and freshman center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 apiece.
Sophomore guard Deanna Mayza posted a game-high 19 points to pace Hartford in scoring while senior guard Amber Bepko turned in 15 points. Mayza drained 7 of 16 attempts from the field, including three treys. Bepko drilled a game-high four 3-pointers, making five of nine shots. Senior forward Cherelle Moore notched 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 24 of 48 (50.0 percent) from the field, including 14 of 25 (56.0 percent) in the first half. Additionally, New Hampshire made 60 percent of its 3-pointers on 9 of 15 shooting. The Hawks were held to 22 of 57 (35.7 percent) from the floor. UNH's bench outscored the Hartford reserves, 14-3. Furthermore, the 'Cats controlled the paint, outrebounding (36-28) and outscoring the opposition (26-16).
The two teams traded baskets out of the chute as the score stood at five apiece. Pogue broke the deadlock as she registered a layup while fouled, completing the three-point play to give UNH an 8-7 edge with 16:18 left in the first quarter.
The Hawks pulled ahead 17-12 by engineering a 10-4 run, capped off by a Bepko 3-pointer. However, the 'Cats clawed back to 19-18 with baskets from Anderson, Belanger and Frankenberger at the midway point of the frame.
New Hampshire continued its momentum, rattling off 11 consecutive points. Simpson started the run with a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 21-19 lead. Belanger continued the run with a layup. After a made free throw by freshman guard Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.), Frankenberger drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Senior forward Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) capped off the run with a layup to lift the visitors to a 29-21 lead with 7:26 left in the first half.
The Hawks cut the Wildcats lead in half as the score rose to 32-28 on field goals from Moore and Shanise Bultron entering the last media timeout of the frame. New Hampshire maintained its two-basket advantage into halftime, entering the locker room with a 39-34 lead.
The two sides slugged it out for much of the second half as the frame consisted of six lead changes and four tie scores.
Hartford swiftly tied the match at the 42 mark to begin the second stanza with an 8-3 scoring flurry. Mayza opened the scoring in the second half with a 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe. Belanger interrupted the Hawks' run with a 3-pointer. However, Hartford countered with back-to-back triples from Morgan Lumb and Bepko as UNH burned a timeout with 17:50 left in the second half.
Each side ramped up its offense as the score quickly rose to 51 apiece midway through the contest.
The Wildcats snapped the even score as Pogue poured in the basket in transition. New Hampshire followed it up with a 3-pointer from Anderson to carve out a 56-51 edge for the visiting team with 6:49 to go in regulation. Hartford erased the UNH lead quickly as Jenelle Harrison and Mayza made it a tie game at 56 apiece in just 32 seconds. Neither team would budge as Frankenberger and Mayza traded jumpers to up the score to 58-58, approaching the last five minutes of regulation.
Belanger and Kilpatrick propelled UNH to a 62-58 lead with layups at 3:58 and 3:14 respectively. The Hawks retaliated with another trey from Mayza as the Wildcats' lead shrunk to 62-61 with 2:31 left on the clock. Despite a layup from Belanger, the Hawks kept it a one-possession game with a pair of free throws from Lumb with 46 ticks left.
Hartford forced a turnover on the next UNH possession with 35 seconds left and gave itself an opportunity to take the lead for the first time since the 15:50 mark in the second half. However, the Hawks surrendered the ball twice after inducing another Wildcat turnover. Anderson managed to get to the free throw line with five seconds showing on the clock. The sophomore guard hit the first free throw, but the second ricocheted off the front rim as Hartford opportunity for one last shot. The Hawks turned to Mayza as she heaved a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but her attempt was off the mark as the 'Cats outlasted the Hawks for the 65-63 win.
UNH is back in action Thursday, Jan. 29 (7 p.m.) as the squad rekindles its rivalry at the University of Maine. The Wildcats return to Lundholm Gymnasium on Sunday, Feb. 1 (1 p.m.) to take on Stony Brook University. 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).
