University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
14-7, 6-3
Stony Brook University
12-10, 5-4AE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stony Brook | 22 | 38 | 60 |
| New Hampshire | 18 | 34 | 52 |
Belanger's Game-High 17 Points Not Enough, Women's Basketball Falls to Stony Brook, 60-52
2/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.H. -- Junior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) poured in a game-high 17 points, but the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team fell to Stony Brook University in Sunday's 60-52 America East decision at Lundholm Gymnasium for You Can Play/National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Sunday afternoon.
Stony Brook improves its overall record 12-10 and 5-4 in conference play. New Hampshire slips to 14-7, 6-3.
Belanger connected on 6 of 13 attempts, including 4 of 6 from the free throw line. The junior also recorded five boards and three assists. Senior guard Ariel Gaston (Toledo, Ohio) registered 10 points, four rebounds and four steals, matching a season-high. Classmate Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) also tallied 10 points while corralling a team-high seven boards. The senior forward and co-captain also racked up a pair of blocks in the loss.
Sophomore guard Crista Scognamiglio paced four Stony Brook players in double figure scoring with 15 points. The sharpshooter converted 6 of 11 shots from the floor, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Kori Bayne-Walker tallied 12 points despite shooting just 2 of 7 from the field. Bayne-Walker made a game-high eight free throws on 11 attempts. Forward Sabre Proctor and Brittany snow also notched 12 points each in the win.
The Seawolves drilled 21 of 52 (40.4 percent) shots from the field while the Wildcats registered 20 of 50 (40.0 percent) attempts from the floor. Stony Brook dialed up from 3-point range 10 times and made four (40 percent) while UNH was held to just 3 of 11 (27.3 percent). SBU controlled the paint, edging out New Hampshire in scoring (32-30) and rebounding (38-30). The Seawolves outscored the 'Cats on the fastbreak by an 11-4 margin.
Both teams struggled to find a scoring rhythm out of the chute as baskets from Belanger and Kilpatrick gave UNH a 6-2 edge at the first media timeout. Bayne-Walker floated in a runner to cut the New Hampshire lead in half, but baskets from freshman center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Gaston upped the home team's advantage to 9-4 with 12:08 remaining in the first half.
The Seawolves wrestled the lead away from the Wildcats midway through the opening stanza on 9-0 run. At the same time, UNH could not overcome a stingy defensive effort by SBU, keeping the home team scoreless for 6 minutes, 17 seconds. Pogue snapped the New Hampshire scoring drought with a 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe as the visitors owned a 13-11 edge with 5:29 left in the first frame.
Stony Brook engineered another run, rattling off three consecutive layups from Scognamiglio, Proctor and Snow to propel the Seawolves ahead, 19-11. Sophomore guard Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) interrupted the SBU run with a jumper from the elbow, but the Seawolves tallied three more points to lead 22-13 in the waning moments of the first half.
The 'Cats closed the first half on a positive note as a Gaston layup followed by an Anderson triple closed out the scoring in the final 30 seconds. However, Stony Brook entered the break with a 22-18 lead.
On the first possession of the second half, Scognamiglio drilled a baseline trey from the left corner, but Belanger responded for UNH with an unassisted layup. Stony Brook continued its scoring as Bayne-Walker tallied a fastbreak layup followed by a 3-pointer from Proctor. Despite a pair of layups from Kilpatrick, Stony Brook constructed its largest lead of the game at 40-29 with 10:02 left in the second half.
New Hampshire tried to chip the Stony Brook lead down to single digits as baskets from Belanger and Gaston fell at 9:44 and 7:32 respectively. However, SBU countered with scores from Scognamiglio and Bayne-Walker. After forwards Kilpatrick and Snow traded layups, the 'Cats still trailed by double figures at 46-35 with 5:37 left on the clock.
UNH brought the Stony Brook lead down to single digits as Sarah-Marie Frankenberger (Gross Gerau, Germany) pulled down an offensive board and made a layup. Anderson followed the second chance score with a jumper at the 4:20 mark. After a Proctor layup on the next possession, Belanger retaliated with a layup of her own as Stony Brook's lead decreased to 48-41 with 3:33 remaining in regulation.
The Seawolves pulled ahead again under the three-minute mark as the visitors swiftly poured in six consecutive points. However, the 'Cats did not fade away quietly as the squad faced a double-digit deficit with approximately two minutes left on the clock.
New Hampshire tried to mount a comeback as Gaston knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing a 2:02. The Wildcats were able to force a turnover on the next possession and draw a foul. Belanger converted both of her free throws to cut Stony Brook's lead down to 54-47 with 1:17 showing on the board. UNH made a defensive stop as Kilpatrick swatted down a Scognamiglio layup, which turned into a fastbreak bucket for Gaston to pull within two scores at 54-49 with 1:01 to go in the match.
Despite the UNH scoring flurry, SBU halted the rally in the final minute of play. The Stony Brook defense clamped down kept UNH to just one 3-pointer in the final minute of play. Free throws by Bayne Walker and Proctor sealed the deal for the Seawolves as the Wildcats dropped their first home loss of the conference slate.
UNH closes out their two-game homestand, welcoming the University at Albany on Wednesday, Feb. 4 (7 p.m.) for its second-ever 'Silent Night' game. For tickets, visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.
Please visit 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).
