University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
14-6, 6-2
University of Maine
15-6, 7-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 24 | 32 | 56 |
| MAINE | 40 | 47 | 87 |
Belanger Tallies 14 points, Five Assists in Women's Basketball's 87-56 Loss at Maine
1/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BANGOR, Maine -- Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) and Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) each tallied a team-high 14 points, but the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team had its season-high five-game win streak snapped against the University of Maine in Thursday's 87-56 decision at the Cross Insurance Center.
Maine wins its seventh consecutive game and improves its overall record to 15-6 and 7-1 in America East. New Hampshire falls to 14-6, 6-2.
Belanger shot 6 of 10 from the field and matched her career-high with five assists. Anderson converted on 5 of 9 attempts, including a 4-for-8 performance from 3-point range to tie a season-high. Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points coming off the bench.
Liz Wood led four Maine scorers in double figures with a game-high 24 points while tallying seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. The junior drained 9 of 10 attempts from the floor and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Sigi Koizar posted 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Anna Heise poured in 17 points while Sophie Weckstrom chipped in 12.
The Black Bears posted season-high percentages from the field (31 of 51; 60.8 percent) and 3-point range (12 of 21; 57.1 percent). UNH converted 22 of 49 (44.9 percent) attempts from the floor and 5 of 13 (38.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Maine controlled the paint, outscoring (34-20) and outrebounding (30-22) New Hampshire.
The Black Bears made all six of their shots to begin the contest, bolting out a 15-4 lead. After a UNH timeout in the first five minutes, Pogue slowed the Maine scoring run with a jumper. Not phased by the made basket from the freshman center, Maine added two more baskets to bolster its shooting streak and led 20-6. Despite a deep 3-pointer from Anderson, the Black Bears extended their lead to 14 points at 23-9, highlighted by triples from Weckstrom and Heise.
UNH clawed back to bring the Maine lead down to single digits, starting with a layup from Pogue at 11:05. The Wildcats engineered an 11-6 spurt as Belanger and Pogue carried the scoring load. The run gave UNH a 29-20 deficit with with 3:30 left in the first half.
The Maine offense ramped up its shooting and reconstructed its double-digit cushion in the waning moment of the first half. Back-to-back layups from Wood and Koizar upped the home team's advantage to 33-20. Sarah-Marie Frankenberger (Gross Gerau, Germany) tried to jumpstart the UNH offense with a deep jumper. However, the Black Bears closed out the first half on a 6-2 run to take a 40-24 lead into the break.
Maine sustained its efficient shooting percentage after compiling a 61.5 clip in the first half. Belanger and Wood traded baskets to begin the second half as the score quickly rose to 46-28. The Wildcat offense tried to keep up with the scoring as baskets as Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) buried a trey at 15:56. The Black Bears countered with back-to-back triples from Heise as the home team led 58-33 with 14:10 left in regulation.
Anderson connected on consecutive 3-pointers along with contributions from Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) and Pogue, but the Black Bears matched the Wildcats scoring as the visitors trailed 67-43 midway through the second stanza.
New Hampshire strung together back-to-back baskets from Belanger and Simpson to chip the Maine advantage down to 67-46 with 9:18 on the clock.
Despite 11 second half points from Anderson, the Black Bears' attack was too much to overcome as the Wildcats were handed an 87-56 setback.
The Wildcats return to Durham to start a two-game homestand. New Hampshire hosts Stony Brook University on Sunday, Feb. 1 (1 p.m.). UNH then hosts the University at Albany on Wednesday, Feb. 4 (7 p.m.). For tickets, visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.
Check out UNHWildcat.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).
