Men's Basketball Aims for Second Straight Win at Brown (Nov. 24; 7 p.m.)

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire men's basketball team is set to close out its three-game road stretch at Brown University on Tuesday, Nov. 24 (7 p.m.) at Pizzitola Sports Center.

Cat Facts

Head Coach Bill Herrion is one win shy of ranking second on UNH's all-time coaching wins list.
Sophomore Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) ranks third in the nation with 14.0 rebounds per game.
Freshman Pat McNamara (Arlington Heights, Ill.) sits 33^rd in the nation in 3-point-field goal percentage (56.5 percent).
New Hampshire is outscoring opponents 73.7-66.3 and outrebounding the opposition 42.3-30.3 through three games.
UNH shot 52.6 percent from beyond the arc in the 73-69 win against the College of the Holy Cross (Nov. 19), the highest total this season.

The State of New Hampshire
New Hampshire enters the contest off a 73-69 victory at the College of the Holy Cross (Nov. 19) at the Hart Center. McNamara scored 18 points off the bench on six 3-pointers, five in the second half. Camara recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 18 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Both Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) and Jaleen Smith (Freeport, Texas) recorded 13 points and four rebounds. Smith also tallied seven assists.

New Hampshire led 34-30 after the first half and shot 58.3 percent from beyond the arc in the final frame to hold onto the lead. The Wildcats led by as much as 15 points with 10:48 on the clock but the Crusaders pulled within two points with 2:52 to play. Clutch free throws and defense helped the 'Cats hold on for the win.

Leissner leads the team with 18.0 points per game and records 6.0 rebounds per game. McNamara sits second in scoring with 14.3 points per game followed by Camara with 12.3 points. Smith totals 11.0 points per game and leads the team in assists with 7.0 per contest. Camara also paces the squad in rebounds with 14.0 per game. McNamara shoots 56.0 percent from the field and 56.5 from beyond the arc.

Scouting the Bears
The Bears are primed for their second home game this season. Most recently, the Bears fell to fellow city-school Providence College, 94-73, on Nov. 21. Brown is 1-1 this season at home with its lone win against Holy Cross, 71-55.

Brown is led by Tavon Blackmon who averaged 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Cedric Kuakumensah averages a double-double with 10.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest. The final double-digit scorer is JR. Hobbie with 10.3 per game while leading the team with a 46.4 mark from the field. Blackmon also leads the team in assists with a 5.5 average.

All-Time Series
Brown leads New Hampshire in the all-time series by a slim 24-22 record. Most recently, Brown entered Durham and fell 68-61 to the Wildcats (Jan. 8, 2015). Sophomore Jacoby Armstrong (Sachse, Texas) finished with 17 points and nine rebounds to pace the offense. Leissner and Smith scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. New Hampshire last won on the road against Brown on Dec. 7, 2011 when they pulled out a 69-56 victory.

Casual Camara
Forward Camara scored career-highs in points and rebounds to open the 2015-16 season. His 15-point and 20-rebound stat line earned him America East Player of the Week honors on Nov. 16. At UConn, the sophomore scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out two assists and totaled two steals. The Senegal native tallied a second double-double this season at Holy Cross with 14 points and 18 rebounds. Camara ranks third in the country in rebounds.

Locked In Leissner
Leissner added a fifth career double-double and matched his career-high scoring output with 21 points during the season opener. At No. 19 UConn, Leissner finished with his second consecutive 20-point effort on 20 points and four rebounds. The 2015 America East Rookie of the Year averages 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and shoots 51.3 percent from the field per game.

Zeroed In
Smith nearly notched a triple-double (two rebounds shy) in the season opener (Nov. 13). The stat line was his second-career double-double and the first where he used the assists column. He continues to do a little bit of everything, averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and seven assists through three games. The 2015 All-Championship Team member started in all 32 games for UNH last year and ranked second in both scoring (10.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg). He paced the team in assists with 2.8 per game. At the guard position, he ranked third in blocks with 11 and was the only guard with more than two.

Mac Truck
Freshman McNamara is shooting 56.5 percent from beyond the arc this season, recently going 6-for-9 on 3-pointers at Holy Cross with five in the second half. The Illinois native scored 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting, including three treys, in the season opener against Lyndon State College. Last season, the Wildcats topped the league in 3-point field-goal percentage with a 37.4 percent mark. UNH looks to continue that trend, shooting 41.2 percent so far through three games. McNamara's 3-point percentage sits 33^rd in the nation, and his 4.33 treys a game ranks 12^th.

Strong Play
Armstrong made his season debut at UConn where he totaled seven points, five rebounds, a steal and an assist off the bench. At Holy Cross, he totaled seven points, and four rebounds on 3 of 5 shooting from the field. This season, the 2015 All-Conference Third Team member is scoring 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Wildcat Captains
Smith, Armstrong and junior guard Joe Bramanti (Andover, Mass.) brings the leadership to the Wildcats this season. Bramanti returns to captaincy after last year's leadership produced a balanced team. Smith and Armstrong join Bramanti in their junior seasons, all with UNH, with a combined 3,000+ minutes of game time.

Scoring Jump
Leissner and Smith averaged 10 + points a game a year ago, improving the Wildcat offense from last place in the conference in 2013-14 (57.8 ppg) to first in the conference in 2014-15 (67.1 ppg). The +9.3 scoring increase is first among the most improved Division I teams from a season ago, where the 'Cats finished tied for sixth for most improved team with +13 wins.

Herrion Wins Again
Herrion has compiled a New Hampshire overall record of 119-182 throughout his 11 years. He took sole ownership of second place on UNH's coaching wins list after the win at Holy Cross. With one more victory, Herrion will overtake William Cowell (1916-1928) and rank second for most wins as a UNH men's basketball coach. Gerry Friel (1969-89) totaled 185 wins throughout his 20-season career, to lead the program.

Look Ma, I'm On TV
The Wildcats are set to play on five ESPN3 games, two at home, and three television games in 2015-16. Additionally, New Hampshire will play on SportsNet New York (SNY) when they take on the University of Connecticut (Nov. 17; 7 p.m.), WBIN Classics and Fox College Sports on Dec. 19 (1 p.m.) against Dartmouth College in Lundholm and lastly Fox College Sports on Jan. 16 (1 p.m.) against Stony Brook University in Durham. The ESPN3 contests will be at Southern Methodist University (Dec. 5; 1:30 p.m.), at Boston College (Dec. 30; 2 p.m.), at UMass Lowell (Jan. 21; 7 p.m.), against the University of Vermont (Jan. 27; 7 p.m.) and against the University of Albany (Feb. 11; 7 p.m.).

New 'Cats in Town
New Hampshire welcomes four newcomers to the roster this season. Guard Andrew Dotson (Arlington, Texas) was the 2014-15 District Offensive MVP in his area during his senior year, averaging 20.3 points per game. McNamara averaged 18 points per game in his senior season and was a regional champion, and All-Conference and All-Area selection. Sophomore guard Jordan Reed (Lucas, Texas) is a transfer from Rice University and played in 12 games but will have to sit out this season. The final freshman is forward David Watkins (Dorchester, Mass.) who was a top-30 player in New England last year. He received the most valuable player award in both junior and senior season at Brimmer and May School.

Graduation Success Rate
The Wildcats received a perfect GSR of 100 percent in the NCAA report released on Nov. 4. Men's basketball was one of four New Hampshire programs that had the unblemished rating. The team was tied for first in the America East conference against other basketball squads in the conference. All 20 athletic programs as a whole recorded a GSR of 90 percent.

The Lone Star State
UNH has seven individuals from the state of Texas. Smith, Dotson, Armstrong, guard Daniel Dion (Cedar Park), Reed, Leissner and guard Ronnel Jordan (San Antonio) all chose the chilly New England weather over the hot lone star state.

2014-15 America East Award Winners
Joining Leissner, Armstrong was an America East All-Conference Third Team member with Matt Miller who joined the coaching staff after graduation. Bramanti was an All-Defensive Team selection and Smith was named to the All-Championship Team for his play during the tournament.

2015-16 America East Weekly Award Winners
Iba Camara – Player of the Week (Nov. 16)

Miller Moves On
After Miller was denied a sixth season as a Wildcat, the team decided to add him to the coaching staff to help build the team for a title run. Miller was a key cog to the success last season, leading the America East in 3-point field goal percentage (48.1 percent) and ranking second in threes made (63). He finished his UNH career ranked 10th in threes made in a season and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage in a season. Additionally, Miller's shooting finishes second in the UNH record books for career 3-point field goal percentage.

Wildcats on the Air
The Wildcat Sports Radio Network will broadcast a total of 15 UNH men's basketball regular-season games during the 2015-16 season and will air the games for the America East Championships. 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 affiliates include (times/dates subject to change):

WPKX-AM - 930 - Rochester

WGIR-AM - 610 - Manchester

Live Stream - Stretch Internet - UNHWildcats.com

Here is the complete radio schedule:
Nov. 13 vs. Lyndon St. (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 19 at Holy Cross (7 p.m.)
Nov. 28 vs. American (1 p.m.)
Nov. 30 vs. Bryant (7 p.m.)
Dec. 19 vs. Dartmouth (1 p.m.)
Dec. 21 at Boston U. (7 p.m.)
Dec. 30 at Boston College (2 p.m.)
Jan. 9 vs. Binghamton (1 p.m.)
Jan. 16 vs. Stony Brook (1 p.m.)
Jan. 24 vs. Hartford (1 p.m.)
Jan. 27 vs. Vermont (7 p.m.)
Feb. 8 vs. Maine (7 p.m.)
Feb. vs. 11 UAlbany (7 p.m.)
Feb. 17 vs. UMass Lowell (7 p.m.)
Feb. 27 vs. UMBC (12 p.m.)

Preseason Predictions
New Hampshire was selected to finish fourth in the conference this season with 47 points. Leissner was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team as well, the only non-senior selected to the team.

Men's Hoops Media Center
To check out career numbers, year-by-year results, alumni roster and much more, head over to the men's basketball page at UNHWildcats.com and look under the additional links tab to find the media center link.

Looking Ahead
New Hampshire returns home on Saturday, Nov. 28 (noon) against American University. Limited tickets are available so be sure to call the box office at 603-862-4000.

For the most up-to-date information on the men's basketball program, visit the new UNHWildcats.com. 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.

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