University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
9-4, 1-0AE
Stony Brook University
7-7, 0-1AE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 27 | 33 | 60 |
| Stony Brook | 25 | 27 | 52 |
Women's Basketball Triumphant in America East Opener at Stony Brook, 60-52
1/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team opened up its America East schedule on the road with a 60-52 victory over Stony Brook University at Island Federal Credit Union Arena on Saturday afternoon.
UNH wins its second consecutive league opener and improves to 9-4 on the season. Stony Brook suffers its first loss at home and slips to 7-7, 0-1.
Junior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) and freshman center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) powered the Wildcats with 12 points apiece. Belanger shot 6 of 12 from the field and tallied eight rebounds and four assists. Coming off the bench, Pogue drilled 6 of 9 attempts from the floor and racked up a career-high three blocks in 23 minutes played. Guards Ariel Gaston (Toledo, Ohio) and Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) chipped in eight points each. New Hampshire matched its season-high in assists with 19 and turned the ball over just six times.
Stony Brook had three players reach double-digit scoring the loss. Junior forward Brittany Snow led all scorers with 16 points. Sophomore guards Kori Bayne-Walker and Crista Scognamiglio pitched in 12 points each. Senior guard Jessica Ogunnorin pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 26 of 54 (.481) from the field, including 15 of 27 (.556) in the second half. The Seawolves were held to 20 of 54 (.370) shooting and 4 of 18 (.222) from behind the 3-point line. UNH outscored Stony Brook in the paint with a 32-24 edge. Additionally, the Wildcats were advantageous of turnovers, outscoring their opposition, 17-5. Stony Brook held a 35-32 edge in rebounding.
SBU bolted to a 7-0 lead out of the gate as the New Hampshire offense struggled to score in the opening five minutes. However, Pogue jumpstarted the UNH offense with back-to-back baskets to start the scoring for the visitors.
Following an Anderson free throw, the Seawolves constructed a 6-2 scoring flurry to take a 13-7 lead with 11:51 left in the first half.
New Hampshire retaliated with a 13-4 run to take its first lead of the afternoon at 20-17 with 6:23 remaining on the opening stanza. The Wildcats' surge was highlighted by 3-pointers from senior guard/forward Sarah-Marie Frankenberger (Gross Gerau, Germany) and Anderson.
The two sides traded buckets as the Seawolves pulled within a point in the waning moments of the frame at 24-23. UNH turned to Anderson with under a minute remaining as she drilled a deep shot from beyond the arc to up the lead to 27-23. Stony Brook quickly responded with a layup from senior forward Sabre Proctor in transition as UNH entered halftime with a 27-25 edge.
Both sides shot the ball well to begin the second half as the Wildcats clenched onto a 31-30 edge. UNH would not relinquish its lead as a second chance layup from Belanger at the 16:29 mark ignited a 20-4 run.
After the Belanger layup, the UNH defense forced a turnover as Gaston received the ball with no one around her for the fastbreak bucket. Stony Brook briefly interrupted the run with a Snow field goal. However, four consecutive New Hampshire jumpers fell as UNH carved out a 43-34 lead. Despite a Seawolves layup, the Wildcats tacked on eight more points to its run, punctuated by a pair of 3-pointers from freshman guard Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.). The 20-4 run gave the visitors its largest lead of the afternoon at 51-34 with 9:34 left in regulation.
The Seawolves did not fade away quietly as the home team attempted to muster a comeback in the latter portion of the second half. Stony Brook chipped away at the New Hampshire lead, getting contributions from Bayne-Walker, Scognamiglio and Snow to narrow the deficit down to eight points at 55-47. However, senior forward Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) made a second-chance jumper to up UNH's lead to double figures again with 2:25 left on the clock.
Stony Brook cut New Hampshire's lead down to single digits again as a Scognamiglio 3-pointer fell to inch the Seawolves closer at 57-50. Despite SBU's efforts, UNH maintained its two-basket advantage for the remainder of the game and clinched the 60-52 win.
UNH remains on the road to visit the reigning America East champion University at Albany on Wednesday, Jan. 7 (7 p.m.). The Wildcats are back at Lundholm Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 10 (1 p.m.) to clash with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. 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).
