University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
15-10, 7-6AE
Binghamton University
4-22, 2-11AE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 43 | 33 | 76 |
| Binghamton | 24 | 34 | 58 |
Women's Basketball Roars Past Binghamton, 76-58
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
VESTAL, N.Y. -- Junior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) registered a game-high 25 points to power the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team to Saturday's 76-58 victory over Binghamton University at the Events Center.
New Hampshire snaps a five-game skid and improves its overall record to 15-10 and 6-5 in league play. Binghamton drops 4-22, 2-11.
Belanger records her fifth 20-point performance this season by converting 11 of 16 attempts from the field and making 3 of 4 free throws. The junior also dished out four assists and tallied a steal. Sophomore guard Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) drilled 5 of 6 shots from behind the 3-point line to earn 15 points while tallying three helpers and two steals. Senior forward Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) poured in 14 points on 7 of 9 attempts from the floor. She also chalked up two blocks.
Senior forward Sherae Swinson posted a double-double effort of 16 points and 10 rebounds. She drained 5 of 15 shots from the floor, including 1 of 2 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Imani Watkins logged 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting and made a pair of free throws in the loss.
The Wildcats featured a season-high 64.6 field goal percentage on 31 of 58 attempts, including 6 of 10 (60.0 percent) from 3-point range. Binghamton poured in 21 of 63 shots from the floor (33.3 percent) and 11 of 17 attempts (64.7 percent) from the free throw line. Binghamton edged New Hampshire in rebounds, 35-34. However, UNH controlled the paint, outscoring the opposition with a 44-26 margin.
The two sides traded baskets out of the chute all knotted at four. Kristin Ross broke the tie with a jumper, but Anderson retaliated with a baseline trey to give the Wildcats a 7-6 edge. Belanger added a layup as New Hampshire led 9-6 at the first media timeout.
Binghamton quickly tied the game again out of the stoppage with a 3-pointer from Gintare Surdokaite. However, the Wildcats rattled off eight consecutive points, backboned by two more 3-pointers from Anderson to pull ahead 19-11 with 12:19 left in the first half.
Kristin Ross snapped the 8-0 UNH scoring run with a layup, but New Hampshire was able to bolster its lead to 26-15 from baskets by Ariel Gaston (Toledo, Ohio), Peyton Booth (Wadsworth, Ohio) and Kilpatrick. A Swinson triple narrowed the Wildcats' lead down to single digits at 9:09. However, New Hampshire rebuilt its double-digit lead to 32-18 as Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Kilpatrick notched layups with 6:36 left in the opening stanza.
Binghamton and New Hampshire exchanged field goals as the score rose to 36-22 in the waning moments of the first frame. Following a Watkins layup, Anderson ignited the visitors to seven consecutive points with her fourth 3-pointer of the game to cap off the opening half. The Wildcats entered the locker room with a 43-24 lead.
New Hampshire continued its scoring barrage into the second half, scoring 11 consecutive points, punctuated by Anderson's fifth consecutive 3-pointer. Surdokaite snapped the UNH scoring run with a layup, but two more Belanger layups upped the visitors to its largest lead of the game at 58-28 with 13:28 left in the second half.
Binghamton battled back with a 10-2 surge to cut UNH's lead down to 20 points. Watkins started the run with a fastbreak layup off a turnover. Freshman guard and reigning America East Rookie of the Week Jasmine Sina dialed up a 3-pointer and drained the shot at the 10:20 mark. After a layup by Pogue, Swinson tacked on a free throw. Sina padded the Binghamton scoring run with a quick six points to cap off the 10-2 spurt.
Gaston halted the Bearcats' run with a floater. Belanger followed up with a layup while fouled. She completed the three-point play as the Wildcats led 65-40 with 6:30 left in regulation.
Binghamton tried to mount a comeback, but UNH continued its scoring as the score rose to 72-52 with 2:22 remaining in the game. The deficit was too much for the Bearcats to overcome as the Wildcats maintained a minimum 18-point lead for the rest of the match to earn the 76-58 triumph.
UNH returns to Lundholm Gymnasium on Wednesday, Feb. 18 (7 p.m.), hosting the University of Hartford for Real 'Cats Wear Pink. The game will be televised on Fox College Sports and WBIN Classics. For tickets, visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.
Log onto 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).
