Dion Rounds Out Four Double-Digit Scorers as Men’s Basketball Defeats Abilene Christian, 86-75

Thursday, December 3

Abilene, Texas

8 PM EST

University of New Hampshire

5-2

Abilene Christian University

3-4

UNH

Abilene Christian

Dion Rounds Out Four Double-Digit Scorers as Men’s Basketball Defeats Abilene Christian, 86-75

12/3/2015 11:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ABILENE, TEXAS – Junior Daniel Dion (Cedar Park, Texas) scored 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting to push the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team to an 86-75 win over Abilene Christian University, Thursday night at Moody Coliseum.

The Wildcats improved to 5-2 overall as Abilene fell to 3-4 on the season. The win gives the 'Cats its first win in the state of Texas in a homecoming of sorts for the six Lone Star State natives on the UNH team. The win also matches the record the squad had through the first seven games a season ago. The 'Cats have won three straight on the road for the first time since 2005-06.

Dion grabbed four rebounds and dished four assists in 33 minutes of action. Both sophomore Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) and senior Ronnel Jordan (San Antonio, Texas) tallied 14 points as junior Jaleen Smith (Freeport, Texas) scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded four assists.

ACU was led by Jaylen Franklin who scored 22 points, 16 in the second half, on 7 of 12 shooting with eight free throws. Hayden Farquhar tallied 14 first-half points en route to 17 total. Parker Wentz totaled 12 points including 3 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc. Lastly, Jaren Lewis nearly recorded a double-double with nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

The Texas native Smith scored the game's opening basket with a layup and a foul to take a 3-0 lead after the made free throw just 1:24 into the contest.

The play was neck and neck as no team led by more than four points through the first and UNH trailed 28-26 with 7:05 left in the first period. Then the Wildcats made their move with a 10-0 run. Dion nailed two free throws to kick it off followed by a sophomore Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) jumper in the paint to take a 30-28 lead. Camara played 15 minutes and scored nine points and four rebounds. Dion drilled one of his two threes in the opening half to push the lead to five followed by a Leissner dunk after going 1-for-1 from the charity stripe with 4:31 remaining in the first half, and a 36-28 lead.

ACU made a run of their own to narrow the deficit to two points, 41-39, just under two minutes to play. Farquhar sunk a jumper to start the push followed by four straight points from Lewis. Wentz converted an and-1 score and Franklin capped off the Abilene scoring.

The Wildcats led at the break, 46-42.

New Hampshire upped its offense in the second-half, increasing its lead to 18 points with 10:23 to play in regulation. An 11-0 run propelled the 'Cats to the largest lead of the half that spanned 3:44 seconds. Jordan nailed one of his two threes in the game followed by a Smith basket in the lane. Leissner and Jordan scored two each with the run capped off by Camara's lefty tally.

ACU would narrow the lead to 11, the tightest its deficit sat in the final half, on the final scoring plays with two free throws from Franklin.

New Hampshire closes its Texas road trip at No. 22 Southern Methodist University on Saturday, Dec. 5 (1:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN3, its second ranked opponent this season.

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