Men’s Basketball Wraps Up Non-Conference Schedule at BC on ESPN3 (Dec. 30; 2 p.m.)

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire men's basketball team visits Boston College on Wednesday, Dec. 30 (2 p.m.) to close out non-conference play on ESPN3 at the Conte Forum.

Cat Facts

The Wildcats look to win their eighth non-conference game this season to set a new program record.
New Hampshire has scored 75+ points seven times this season.
With 27.5 defensive rebounds per game, UNH ranks second in the America East.
UNH is the only team to have three athletes in the top-13 in scoring in the conference. Sophomore Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) (2^nd - 14.7 ppg), junior Jaleen Smith (Freeport, Texas) (ninth - 12.9 ppg) and classmate Jacoby Armstrong (Sachse, Texas) (13^th - 11.5 ppg) are the three.
The last time the Wildcats played Boston College and Boston University back-to-back was in 1990 (At BC: 85-57 loss, At BU: 85-77 loss) and the consecutive games in Beantown has only occurred twice in program history. The first meeting occurred in 1973-74 where the Wildcats toppled BU on the road 57-56 and lost to BC in overtime 57-56.

The State of New Hampshire
New Hampshire fell 78-74 to Boston University (Dec. 21) at Case Gym. The Wildcats suffered their first setback when totaling five double-digit scorers this season. Senior Ronnel Jordan (San Antonio, Texas) tallied a team-high 16 points (6 of 12) and grabbed three rebounds. Junior Daniel Dion (Cedar Park, Texas) scored 13 points (5 of 12) and hit three 3-pointers. Both Smith and Armstrong notched 11 points as Armstrong also corralled seven rebounds and Smith totaled five. Lastly, Leissner scored 10 points.

The Wildcats controlled the offensive glass with a 16-3 rebound advantage, which led to a 16-6 second-chance points lead. The defense also collected 14 turnovers by the Terriers. BU shot 55.3 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc to secure the win.

Leissner remains the team's leading scorer with 14.7 points per game. The sophomore also grabs 6.6 rebounds a game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Smith and Armstrong record 12.9 and 11.5 points per game, respectively, while Smith paces the team in assists (4.4 apg). Sophomore Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) averages a near double-double (9.9 pts, 10.3 rebs) while starting in 10 of 12 games this season and shooting 55.4 percent from the field.

Scouting the Eagles
Boston College has found its stride after winning three straight following five consecutive losses. At the Barclays Center in New York, the Eagles toppled Fordham University, 64-55. Freshman Jerome Robinson scored a game-high 19 points (6 of 13) and grabbed six rebounds. Grad student Eli Carter finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Senior Dennis Clifford tallied five points and nine rebounds.

BC controlled the paint with a 28-14 advantage and held a 12-4 second-chance-point lead, led by Clifford's four offensive rebounds.

Both Carter (16.2 ppg) and Robinson (12.0 ppg) average double-digits in the scoring column. Carter leads the team in rebounding (4.7 rpg) and assists (4.5 apg).

Head coach Jim Christian is coaching his second season at BC. He was the 12^th The Clement and Elizabeth Izzi Family Head Men's Basketball Coach at the school. Christian was a two-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year and led teams to eight postseason appearances in his 12 seasons as a head coach at Ohio, TCU and Kent State. He has coached four All-Americans, three MAC Players of the Year and 31 all-conference honorees.

All-Time Series
BC controls the all-time series with a 26-3 record, which goes back to the 1916-17 season. UNH looks to break a 14-game losing streak after last toppling the Eagles on Dec. 1, 1986 to a 51-49 score.

Locked In Leissner
Forward Leissner totaled his sixth-career double-double, third of the season, in the 100-66 win against division III Worcester St. Leissner leads the team with three 20+-point performances this season after recording just one last year against Colgate (Dec. 14). The 2015 America East Rookie of the Year averages 14.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and shoots 45.5 percent from the field. Leissner is second in the conference in points per game and ranks seventh in rebounds per game. He sat out because of injury against Brown, American and Bryant and scored 14 points in his return at Abilene Christian.

Tough Time Shooting
The Wildcats held Dartmouth to 28.1 percent shooting on 16 made baskets two games ago. That is the lowest percentage an opponent was held to this season since the season opener against Lyndon State College (21.9 percent) in an 82-45 win.

Non-Con. Close Out
The Wildcats are 2-3 overall when closing out non-conference schedules the past five seasons but won just before conference play last year against Brown (68-61) in Durham. The last occurrence of the Wildcats winning the non-conference finisher in back-to-back seasons was against Dartmouth in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Casual Camara
Forward Camara tallied his fourth double-double this season in the win against Worcester St. to rank 61^st in the nation in double-double performances. The sophomore averaged just 3.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last year and has increased the total to 9.9 points and 10.3 rebounds this season. Camara leads the team with seven 10+ rebound games through 12 contests and ranks 22^nd in the country in rebounds per game.

Score, Score Score
UNH is 5-1 when 4+ scorers finish with 10+ points in a game. In the season opener, Leissner, Camara, Smith and freshman Pat McNamara (Arlington Heights, Ill.) eclipsed the 10-point threshold. In the 100-point outburst against Worcester St., Leissner, Camara, Dion, Jordan, Bramanti, Armstrong and McNamara scored 10+ points. At Holy Cross, the first foursome completed the feat again followed by five 10+ scorers at Brown. In the Wildcats third 80+-point scoring game against Abilene Christian, Leissner, Smith, Dion and Jordan all pitched in double-figures. The Wildcats lone loss was at BU to a score of 78-74 when five athletes scored 10+ points.

Fives Alive
Dion has a knack for scoring (10.7 ppg), something he's had since arriving at UNH. He scored a season-high 16 points at Abilene Christian (Dec. 3) in his first start this season and at Colgate (Dec. 13). The 6-foot scorer uses his quickness and creative offense to open space for his quick release (39.0 percent). He totaled double-digit scoring in four straight games from Dec. 3 to Dec. 13. During his sophomore season, the Texas native tallied 9.2 points per game after a freshman season where he scored 8.2 per contest.

Let's Go Home
The men's basketball team scheduled a trip to Texas this season to tackle Abilene Christian (Dec. 3; 8 p.m.) and Southern Methodist University (Dec. 5; 1:30 p.m.) to give the six Texas natives on the team a chance to play in front of family and friends. The five-day trip consisted of an 86-75 win over Abilene Christian, the program's first win in the state of Texas, and a 98-44 loss to No. 22 Southern Methodist.

Strong Play
Armstrong poured in a personal-best 26 points, a season-high for a Wildcat, in an 88-77 win at Brown followed by a 22-point outburst against American to lead all scorers. He 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 notched seven points, and four rebounds on 3 of 5 shooting from the field. This season, the 2015 America East All-Conference Third Team member is scoring 11.5 points and corralling 4.6 rebounds per game.

Flu Game
While battling the flu, Armstrong tallied 14 points and collected four rebounds to defeat the Bryant Bulldogs (Nov. 30), 75-67. He shot 6 of 10 from the floor and nailed his single 3-pointer attempt. The tri-captain also played 35 minutes in a starting role, the largest workload for the forward this season.

Let's Hit The Road
UNH won three straight road games for the first time since the 2005-06 season with wins over the College of the Holy Cross (Nov. 19; 73-69), Brown University (Nov. 24; 88-77) and Abilene Christian (Dec. 3; 86-75). The Wildcats never scored more than 75 points during the 2005-06 streak as they totaled two in the three-game stretch this season.

Old Man On The Mountain
As the lone senior this season, Jordan leads by example on the court. The Texas native poured in a career-best 17 points against Dartmouth on 7 of 11 shooting and followed that up with a team-high 16 points at BU. At Abilene Christian, the guard scored a then career-high 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting in his sixth start of the season. Jordan averages 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

The Lone Star State
UNH has seven individuals from the state of Texas. Armstrong, freshman Andrew Dotson (Arlington, Texas), Dion, Jordan, Leissner, transfer Jordan Reed (Lucas, Texas) and Smith all chose the chilly New England weather over the hot lone star state.

Double-Double Dose
UNH student-athletes have tallied seven double-doubles through 10 games, led by Camara who has four. Leissner has two double-doubles and Smith with one. Just a year ago, the Wildcats had five double-double stat lines in 32 games played. Leissner led UNH with four during 2014-15. Camara has been close to a double-double four additional times this season. He was two-points shy at Bryant and at BU, one rebound away against Colgate and a point short against Dartmouth.

3-Point D
Against Bryant, UNH held the Bulldogs to 17.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc, tying the season-low mark set in the home opener against Division III Lyndon St. (Nov. 13). This was the lowest percentage an opponent was held to since Jan. 22, 2015 when the University of Vermont was held to 16.7 percent (3 of 18) from beyond the arc. Bryant shot 2 of 11 in the first half and 1 of 6 in the final frame.

Mac Truck
McNamara is shooting 44.7 percent from beyond the arc this season, and went a season-high 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 34.2 percent so far through 12 games.

Zeroed In
Smith totals 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and leads the 'Cats with 4.4 assists per contest. The junior leads the team in free-throw percentage, shooting 95.0 percent from the line (38 of 40). The floor general paces the squad in minutes with 35 per game. Smith recorded his first double-double of the season, second of his career, in the 82-45 season-opening win against Lyndon State University. In the program's first victory over Bryant University, Smith scored a career-high 23 points (7 of 13) in 40 minutes of action.

Wildcat Captains
Smith, Armstrong and junior Joe Bramanti bring leadership to the Wildcats this season. Bramanti returns to captaincy after last year's role 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.

Burn Baby Burn
Sophomore Keon Burns (Beaverton, Ore.) has started in 6 of 11 games this season and averages 4.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. The 6-foot, 4-inch guard poured in a career-high 10 points and six rebounds against Brown (Nov. 24). Burns' father Jack played hoops at UNH from 1978-82.

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 last season, where the 'Cats finished tied for sixth for most improved team with +13 wins.

Herrion Wins Again
Head coach Bill Herrion has won 124 games while a head coach at UNH and now ranks second all-time on the coaching wins' list. He overtook William Cowell (1916-28), who won 119 games throughout his 12-year coaching career, in a 73-69 win over Holy Cross (Nov. 19). Next on the list is Gerry Friel (1969-89), who tallied 185 wins in 20 years of leadership.

Look Ma, I'm On TV
The Wildcats are set to play five ESPN3 games, two at home, and three television games in 2015-16. Additionally, New Hampshire played on SportsNet New York (SNY) when they took on the University of Connecticut (Nov. 17; 7 p.m.), was broadcasted on WBIN Classics and Fox College Sports on Dec. 19 (1 p.m.) against Dartmouth College in Lundholm and lastly will be covered by Fox College Sports on Jan. 16 (1 p.m.) against Stony Brook University in Durham. The ESPN3 contests was at Southern Methodist University (Dec. 5; 1:30 p.m.), will be 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. Dotson 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. 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. Reed is a transfer from Rice University and played in 12 games but will have to sit out this season because of transfer regulations.

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 UNH athletic programs as a whole recorded a GSR of 90 percent.

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.)- W, 82-45
Nov. 19 at Holy Cross (7 p.m.)- W, 73-69
Nov. 28 vs. American (12 p.m.)- L, 68-50
Nov. 30 vs. Bryant (7 p.m.)- W, 75-67
Dec. 19 vs. Dartmouth (1 p.m.)- W, 76-56
Dec. 21 at Boston U. (7 p.m.)- L, 78-74
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.)

The Wildcats are 4-2 overall when radio is broadcasting.

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
The Wildcats have 10 days off before opening conference play against Binghamton University on Saturday, Jan. 9 (1 p.m.) in Lundholm Gymnasium.

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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