Fourth Quarter Rally Propels Women's Basketball to 61-57 Victory Over Dartmouth

Monday, November 16

Hanover, N.H.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

2-0

Dartmouth College

0-2

UNH

Dartmouth

Photo by: Greg Greene

Fourth Quarter Rally Propels Women's Basketball to 61-57 Victory Over Dartmouth

11/16/2015 9:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

HANOVER, N.H. - Down seven points with the fourth quarter to play, the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team rallied with a 20-9 surge in the final 10 minutes to earn a 61-57 victory over Dartmouth College on Monday night at Leede Arena.

UNH improves to 2-0 in the non-conference game. Dartmouth slips to 0-2. The Wildcats have won the last six decisions against their Granite State rival.

New Hampshire trailed for the entire game until senior forward Corinne Coia (North Smithfield, R.I.) netted the game-tying basket with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. After a free throw by Dartmouth, Coia drained a jumper to give the Wildcats a 55-54 lead with 2:00 left in regulation. The Big Green knotted the score again with a free throw, but a baseline drive by junior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) followed by free throws by the Wildcats cemented the win for UNH.

Sophomore center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) was among three UNH players in double figure scoring, chalking up a game-high 19 points and four rebounds. Pogue drilled 9 of 10 shots from the floor in 21 minutes played. Coia and Belanger followed with scoring tallies of 16 and 13, respectively. Sophomore guard Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) was one point shy of a double-double, posting nine points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Simpson also matched her personal best in steals with four.

New Hampshire shot 24 of 54 from the field to register a .444 field goal percentage. The blue and white edged out Dartmouth in the paint, outrebounding (36-32) and outscoring (24-22). The Wildcats were advantageous off turnovers, notching 25 points in comparison to the Big Green's 10.

Dartmouth was led by senior Daisy Jordan who posted 13 points. She did most of her scoring from the foul line, drilling 7 of 10 attempts. Junior forward Lakin Roland was one rebound shy of a double-double, logging 11 points and nine boards.

The Big Green converted 14 of 26 (53.8 percent) shots in the first half, but were held to 9 of 28 shooting in the second half to register a .426 field goal percentage.

The home team bolted out to a 11-5 lead to start the game, highlighted by a baseline triple from Roland. UNH erased the lead with baskets from senior guard/forward Stephanie Spoto (Pittsford, N.Y.), Pogue and Simpson to knot the score at the 11 mark with 4:01 left in the first quarter. The Big Green outscored the Wildcats by a 9-5 margin to end the first quarter to take a 20-16 lead.

Dartmouth opened the second stanza with an 8-0 run, backboned by 3-pointers from sophomore guard Kate Letkewicz and Roland to open a 28-16 lead. Despite a timeout by the 'Cats, the Big Green preserved its double-digit cushion for the majority of the quarter. New Hampshire managed to whittle down Dartmouth's lead to single digits at the 4:24 mark as Simpson converted on a second-chance shot in the paint to make it 30-22 in favor of the home team. The Wildcats and Big Green traded scores until the waning moments of the frame. UNH finished the last minute of the quarter strong as Belanger and Coia both drained mid-range jumpers. The 'Cats entered halftime looking up at a 36-31 deficit.

Pogue made it a one-score game to start the third quarter with a second-chance layup. The Big Green retaliated with 10-2 run as sophomore center Olivia Smith and Jordan powered the run to force New Hampshire to re-organize midway through the stanza. The 'Cats cut the Big Green lead to single digits again with contributions from Spoto and Belanger. UNH entered the last quarter of play trailing 48-41.

UNH turned to its inside game to start the final quarter as Pogue recorded seven points to Dartmouth's two, forcing a timeout by the home bench. The Big Green countered with three points from Jordan, giving the home team a five-point edge at 53-48. Simpson hit a timely trey at 3:34, making it a one-possession game again. After a steal by Simpson, the 'Cats looked to Coia in the paint as she knotted the fastbreak score at 53 with 3:00 minutes to go. After a Dartmouth free throw, UNH surged ahead on an 8-3 run. Defensive stops combined with free throws from Coia, Simpson and Spoto cemented the win for the 'Cats.

The Wildcats stay on the road, trekking to Sacred Heart University on Wednesday, Nov. 18 (7 p.m.). UNH hosts the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday, Nov. 22 (1 p.m.).

For tickets, visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.

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