Women's Basketball Hosts Penn for Sunday Matinee (Nov. 22; 1 p.m.)

Sunday, November 22

Durham, N.H.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

University of Pennsylvania

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Photo by: Paige O'Donnell

Women's Basketball Hosts Penn for Sunday Matinee (Nov. 22; 1 p.m.)

11/21/2015 2:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

DURHAM, N.H. -- The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team looks to extend its winning streak to four games, welcoming the University of Pennsylvania for a non-conference contest Sunday, Nov. 22 (1 p.m.) at Lundholm Gymnasium.

BEAT HUNGER GAMES: The New Hampshire Food Bank, Service Credit Union and TownSquare Media have partnered with UNH Athletics for the eighth annual Wildcat Food Drive. All proceeds and contributions will directly support the NH Food Bank and Granite State communities. UNH women's basketball is part of the 'Beat Hunger Games' at which fans can donate non-perishable food items. The Wildcat women's basketball team will be collecting donations at Lundholm Gymnasium for Sunday's contest against Penn and on Tuesday, Nov. 24 (7 p.m.) against Manhattan College.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: The Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start to the 2015-16 season, most recently defeating Sacred Heart University on the road in a 81-69 contest Wednesday, Nov. 18. Seniors Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) and Corinne Coia (North Smithfield, R.I.) combined for 43 points and 18 boards in the win over the Pioneers. Belanger posted a double-double performance of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Coia turned in 21 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) and senior guard/forward Stephanie Spoto (Pittsford, N.Y.) also eclipsed double figures in the scoring column, registerinig tallies of 15 and 10, respectively. Spoto's 10 points was a career-high. Junior guard Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) directed the high-scoring offense with a career-high nine assists off the bench.

The Wildcats converted 29 of 57 shots from the floor to shoot 50.9 percent against Sacred Heart. UNH looked for points in the paint early and often, registering 48 in the paint.

Coia has lead the team this season with 15.7 points per game and is third in rebounds with 5.3. Belanger is tied with Pogue for second on the team in scoring with 13.7 per game. Belanger also leads the team, ripping down7.0 per game. Sophomore guard Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.) is second on the team in rebounds with 6.0 per game while chipping in 8.7 points per game. Anderson

New Hampshire is averaging 71.3 points per game while holding its opponents to 55.7 points. UNH has made its presence felt around the glass, owning a +11.7 rebounding margin and pulling down 40.3 boards per game.

SCOUTING PENN: Penn enters Sunday's Game with an overall record of 2-1. The Quakers are averaging 65.5 points per game while holding their opponents to 51.5. The team is shooting 39.2 percent from the field while just hitting .283 percent from beyond the arc.

In their last time out, the Quakers took down Lafayette College at home in a 54-37 decision. Junior center Sydney Stipanovich lead the team with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds. The Quakers clamped down on defense, stifling Lafayette to three single digit quarters and a shooting percentage of .319.

Sophomore forward Michelle Nwokedi has been leading the Quakers this season in points (16.7) and rebounds (9.7). Stipanovich is just trailing her in both statistical categories, averaging 10.0 points and 8.0 boards per game. Sophomore guard Beth Brzozowski is the team's sharpshooter from behind the arc, shooting at a .438 clip on 7 of 16 attempts.

The Quakers are averaging 61.7 points per game and boast a +15.0-scoring margin over their opponents. Penn is connecting on 39.5 percent of its shots from the floor and 26.0 from beyond the arc. The Quakers are forcing opponents to 18.0 turnovers a game while also holding opponents to minimum success from 3-point range (25.0 percent). Penn is snagging 38.0 rebounds per game.

Mike McLaughlin is in his seventh season as the head coach at Penn. He is the fastest coach in the history of women's college basketball to reach 400 victories.

CONTROLLING THE PAINT: New Hampshire was 16-3 last season and 3-0 this season when outscoring its opponent in the paint. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Wildcats are 29-6 when they win the scoring battle in the paint.

INSIDE THE SERIES: The Wildcats and Quakers meet for the second time in the all-time series. New Hampshire and Penn played last season at The Palestra. The Quakers upended the Wildcats in a 74-39 decision on Nov. 25, 2014.

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 3-0 start in non-conference play this season.

20-20: Belanger and Coia each scored over 20 points in the win at Sacred Heart on Nov. 18. It marks the first time two UNH players scored 20 or more points in a game since Coia and Kelsey Hogan '14 accomplished the feat on Feb. 22, 2014.

PASS THE ROCK: Kristen Anderson dished out a career-high nine assists in the 81-69 win at Sacred Heart on Nov. 18. The junior guard leads the team with 10 helpers this season. Anderson ranks fifth among active conference players with 186 assists.

6-OH-E: Senior guard Elizabeth Belanger earned the nod as a member of the America East Preseason First Team this season. An America East All-Conference First Team honoree last season, 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. She has averaged 13.7 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game this 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. Belanger followed with a double-double effort of 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 81-69 win at Sacred Heart (Nov. 18). The senior's 981 career points ranks third among active America East players.

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. 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. 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). Pogue posted another double-digit scoring performance, pouring in 15 points in the 81-69 win on the road against the Pioneers (Nov. 18).

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).

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 981 points. Below are the UNH all-time scoring records 16 through 20.

POINTS
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-	981
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 five seasons at New Hampshire, Magarity has led the Wildcats to back-to-back semifinal appearances in the America East tournament in 2013 and 2014. In the 2013-14 season, 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

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 549-522 for a .512 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	Record
1st	2/12/75	Maine-Gorham	64-60	1	1-0
100	1/25/83	at Yale	75-56	155	100-55
200	12/9/90	UMass	66-60	336	200-136
300	2/25/96	at Boston U.	85-60	523	300-223
400	3/1/03	Stony Brook	70-67 (OT)	717	400-317
500	2/22/12	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 returns to the hardwood Tuesday, Nov. 24 (7 p.m.), hosting Manhattan College. For tickets, visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.

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