Women's Basketball Looks For Third Straight Win at Sacred Heart (Nov. 18; 7 p.m.)

DURHAM, N.H. -- The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team aims for its third consecutive win, trekking to Sacred Heart University for non-conference action Wednesday, Nov. 18 (7 p.m.).

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: The Wildcats won their second straight contest to start the 2015-16 campaign, rallying from a 12-point deficit to top Granite State rival Dartmouth College on the road, 61-57. New Hampshire was led by sophomore Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio), who notched 19 points and went 9 for 10 from the floor in her 21 minutes of action. Classmate Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) recorded nine points, four steals, and 11 rebounds to help the team to victory. Seniors Corinne Coia (North Smithfield, R.I.) and Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) both reached double digits in the scoring column, tallying 16 and 13 points respectively. Trailing by seven points entering the fourth quarter, the 'Cats outscored the Big Green by a 20-9 margin in the final stanza.

As a team, the Wildcats shot 44.4 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc against The Big Green. UNH outscored Dartmouth 20-9 in the fourth quarter, taking their first lead of the game with only two minutes left in the contest.

New Hampshire is averaging 66.5 points per game while holding its opponents to 49.0 points. UNH has commanded the glass, owning a +11.0 rebounding margin and pulling down 40 boards per game.

SCOUTING SACRED HEART: Sacred Heart welcomed the 2015-2016 season with a heated back-and-forth battle between the University of Hartford, resulting in a 68-67 setback on Sunday, Nov. 15. Three Pioneers obtained double-digit scoring in the loss. Red shirt junior guard/forward Hannah Kimmel recorded her first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Adaysha Williams totaled 17 points while senior forward Alissa Tarsi tallied 12 points in the contest.

Last season, the Pioneers went 16-13 overall and 11-7 in Northeast Conference play. The Sacred Heart roster is made up of 12 returners and three newcomers. Head coach Jessica Mannetti is in her thid season with the Pioneers.

INSIDE THE SERIES: The Wildcats and Pioneers meet for the third time in the all-time series and for the first time since Jan. 5, 2003. The Pioneers and Wildcats have each won contests on their respective courts. Sacred Heart prevailed in the meeting at the Pitt Center on Jan. 3, 2003 in a 64-57 decision.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The 'Cats compiled an 8-4 record in non-conference play in 2014-15. The eight wins outside of league play matched the most victories under the direction of head coach Maureen Magarity, last accomplishing the feat in the 2011-12 season. UNH is off to a 2-0 start in non-conference play this season.

6-OH-E: Belanger earned the nod as a member of the America East Preseason First Team this season. Belanger started in 28 games and led the Wildcats in points (15.8) and rebounds (6.5) per game last year. She registered double figures in the scoring column a team-high 24 times to tally the third highest scoring average in the league. An America East All-Conference First Team honoree, the guard reached double figures in the scoring column in 15 of 16 America East games and eclipsed 20 points or more in four league contests. Belanger poured in 20 points or more six times throughout the 2014-15 season. The senior tallied 13 points and seven rebounds, including the go-ahead basket to help the Wildcats rally to a 61-57 win at Dartmouth on Nov. 16.

COIA IS BACK: Coia returns to the squad after being sidelined by an injury for the 2014-15 season. In her first full season playing for UNH in 2013-14, the America East All-Second Team honoree played in 30 games with 25 starts. She averaged 11.8 points per game and ranked first on the squad in field goal percentage (.475). The 6-foot-4 forward eclipsed at least 10 points in a team-high 21 of 30 games and paced the Wildcats with six double-doubles. Coia was also a key contributor in America East frays, averaging 11.7 points, 5.9 rebounds per game and shot 50 percent from the field. She posted 10 points and four boards in 18 minutes played against Colby-Sawyer on Nov. 13.

CP32: A member of the America East All-Rookie Team in 2014-15, Pogue was a force to be reckon with in conference play last year. The 6-foot-2 center averaged 11.0 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game against America East opponents. A five-time America East Rookie of the Week recipient, she was the first UNH freshman to receive five conference Rookie of the Week honors in a season since Denise Beliveau accomplished the feat during the 2007-08 season. In her rookie season, Pogue played in all 29 games while starting in eight. In 15 minutes against Colby-Sawyer (Nov. 13), the sophomore poured in all three shots for the floor and added a free throw for seven points. She followed with a game-high 19-point performance on 9 of 10 shooting in the 61-57 win at Dartmouth (Nov. 16).

GRANITE STATE GROWN: Simpson, a sophomore guard, chose to play collegiate basketball in her home state of New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Gatorade and NHIAA Player of the Year in 2013-14, is off to a strong start to her sophomore season. Against Colby-Sawyer (Nov. 13), the sophomore scored 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting in the season debut. On the road at Dartmouth (Nov. 16), the guard 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.

FROM THE 603: Two student-athletes on the 2015-16 roster hail from New Hampshire. They are junior Kat Fogarty (Peterborough) and Aliza Simpson (Londonderry).

CONTROLLING THE PAINT: New Hampshire was 16-3 last season and 2-0 this season when outscoring its opponent in the paint. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Wildcats are 28-6 when they win the scoring battle in the paint.

MILESTONE WATCH: Belanger is on pace to break the 1,000-point threshold this season. Entering the senior campaign, the co-captain currently ranks 19th in program history with 959 points. Below are the UNH all-time scoring records 16 through 20.

16	Kelly Butterfield	1981-85	1,030
17	Marcie Lane	1989-94	1,008
18	Heidi Plencner	1998-02	1,000
19	Elizabeth Belanger	2012-	946
20	Kathy Sanborn	1975-79	930
	Danielle Clark	2003-07	930

WILDCATS IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Four of New Hampshire's games this season will be televised. UNH and Maine renews its rivalry in Durham on Jan. 18, which will be featured on ESPN3. New Hampshire is back on ESPN3 six days later on Jan. 24 in a rematch of the America East quarterfinals at Hartford. The game between UNH and UMBC at Lundholm Gymnasium on Jan. 30 will be featured on WBIN Classics. In the following game (Feb. 6), New Hampshire and Binghamton will air on Fox College Sports. Additionally, every game of the 2015 America East Women's Basketball Championship will air on the ESPN networks, including the championship game.

MO' WINS MO' YEARS: On April 24, 2014, head coach Maureen Magarity agreed to a five-year extension with the UNH women's basketball team.

In four seasons at New Hampshire, Magarity has led the Wildcats to back-to-back semifinal appearances in the America East tournament. In 2013-14, she guided the Wildcats to a personal-best 19-12 overall record and 12-4 in conference play, the most wins in a single season since the 1998-99 season (19-8, 13-5 AE).

UNH has not had a 20-win season since the 1983-84 season. Here is a look the at the past seasons in program history with at least 19 wins:

1982-83 23-7
1983-84 20-8
1987-88 19-8 (11-3)
1998-99 19-8 (13-5)
2013-14 19-12 (12-4)*

* Coached by Maureen Magarity

OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN!: Members of the Wildcat basketball team have voted seniors Elizabeth Belanger and Corinne Coia captains for the 2015-16 season.

LEADER OF THE 'CAT PACK: The 2015-16 season marks the sixth season for head coach Maureen Magarity, who became the sixth head coach in program history in May 2010 and the youngest coach of a Division I team - men's or women's - in the country. Magarity quickly made a positive impact on the program with a 73-76 record in her five seasons; in comparison, UNH was a combined 33-87 the four years prior to her arrival. In 2014-15, New Hampshire finished the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 17-12 and 9-7 against America East opponents. The Wildcats finished the season fourth in the league standings and reached double digit wins for the fourth consecutive year. Magarity led the Wildcats to a 19-12 record and 12-4 in America East play, the most wins in a single season since the 1998-99 season. Additionally, Magarity directed New Hampshire to its second consecutive appearance in the America East semifinals, topping Vermont 85-79 (March 7). In just her second year at the helm in Durham, Magarity guided the Wildcats to their second postseason appearance (beyond conference postseason play) in the program's 37-year history when UNH advanced to the 2012 Women's Basketball Invitational. New Hampshire finished the year with a 16-14 overall record to mark the team's first winning season since 2006 and most wins since 2002. In her first season, Magarity led the Wildcats to a 9-20 overall record and they doubled their conference wins from the previous season.

500 AND COUNTING: Now in its 41st year as a varsity program, the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team has an overall record of 547-522 for a .511 winning percentage. UNH recorded the 500th victory in program history Feb. 22, 2012 with a 65-53 win against Maine on Senior Day at Lundholm Gymnasium. Here is a look at the century milestones:

Mark	Date	Opponent	Result	Game No.	Record
1st	2/12/1975	Maine-Gorham	64-60	1	1-0
100	1/25/1983	at Yale	75-56	155	100-55
200	12/09/1990	UMass	66-60	336	200-136
300	2/25/1996	at Boston University	85-60	523	300-223
400	3/01/2003	Stony Brook	70-67 (OT)	717	400-317
500	2/22/2012	Maine	65-53	983	500-483

WILDCATS ON THE AIR: In 2015-16, select UNH basketball games can be heard on three channels spanning the Seacoast and Manchester. Jim Jeannotte, 23-time New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year, handles the play-by-play. Mike Murphy, a five-time winner of the New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year award, does the color commentating.

The Wildcat Sports Radio Network will broadcast a total of 14 UNH women's basketball regular-season games during the 2015-16 season and will air the games during the America East Championships. The Wildcat Sports Radio Network affiliates include:

WPKX-AM - 930 - Rochester
WGIR-AM - 610 - Manchester
Live Stream - Stretch - UNHWildcats.com

Here is the complete schedule:

Nov. 13 vs. Colby-Sawyer
Nov. 22 vs. Penn
Nov. 24 vs. Manhattan
Dec. 2 vs. Northeastern
Dec. 5 vs. Boston University
Dec. 9 vs. Siena
Dec. 20 at Bryant
Jan. 13 vs. UAlbany
Jan. 18 vs. Maine
Jan. 21 vs. UMass Lowell
Jan. 30 vs. UMBC
Feb. 6 vs. Binghamton
Feb. 14 vs. Stony Brook
Feb. 20 vs. Hartford
Feb. 25 vs. Vermont

UP NEXT: New Hampshire is back at Lundholm Gymnasium to start a two-game homestand against the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday, Nov. 22 (1 p.m.). UNH then welcomes Manhattan College on Tuesday, Nov. 24 (7 p.m.).

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

Log onto 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). Text UNH to 90561 to sign up for Sports alerts. Message & Data Rates May Apply. 1 message/text. Consent to receive a text message is not a condition of purchasing goods or services. Text HELP to 90561 for info. STOP to cancel. T&Cs & Privacy Policy is available HERE.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results