University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
14-9, 6-5AE
University of Maryland Baltimore County
8-15, 3-7AE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 28 | 27 | 55 |
| UMBC | 27 | 42 | 69 |
Women's Basketball Suffers 69-55 Setback at UMBC
2/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BALTIMORE -- Despite 11 points and seven rebounds from junior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.), the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team dropped a 69-55 contest against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County at RAC Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Retrievers improve their overall record to 8-15 and 3-7 in America East play. UNH slips to 14-9, 6-5.
Belanger did most of her scoring from the free throw line, knocking down 5 of 6 attempts while shooting 3 of 10 from the field. Senior guard Ariel Gaston (Toledo, Ohio) turned in 10 points five rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Kaylee Kilpatrick (Saint John, New Brunswick) also notched 10 points while tallying three boards and a season-high three steals. Sophomore guard Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Wildcats with 10 points, five rebounds and three helpers.
Sophomore guard Taylor McCarley posted a double-double effort of 29 points and 10 rebounds. McCarley knocked down 17 points from the free throw line on 21 attempts and shot 6 of 13 from the field. Junior guard Capree Garner posted 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals while freshman guard Laura Castaldo logged 13 points coming off the bench.
The Wildcats made 20 of 57 (35.1 percent) shots from the field, including 13 of 16 (81.3 percent) from the free throw line. UMBC drilled 22 of 54 from the floor (40.7 percent) and 24 of 32 from the charity stripe (75.0 percent). UMBC outrebounded (40-35) and outscored (32-26) New Hampshire in the paint. The Wildcats held the advantage in second chance points with a 16-5 margin.
Gaston opened the scoring in the match to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. New Hampshire relied on points from the inside early as Kilpatrick notched six points quickly to up UNH's lead to 8-4 at the first media timeout.
The Retrievers wrestled the lead away from the Wildcats as Wilson knocked down a jumper followed by a McCarley layup on the fastbreak while fouled. McCarley made the free throw to complete the three-point play to give the Retrievers an 11-10 lead with 13:13 left in the first half.
UNH knotted the score at 12 apiece as Anderson floated in a baseline runner after a Garner free throw. However, UMBC did not relinquish its lead as baskets from senior center Dana Lewis and Castaldo upped the home team's edge to 17-12 with 8:41 remaining in the opening stanza.
The 'Cats pulled within a point from contributions by Gaston and Belanger, but UMBC responded with jumpers from McCarley and Castaldo as the score rose to 22-16.
New Hampshire turned to Anderson to cut into the UMBC lead in the last five minutes of the first frame. The sophomore guard netted her first 3-pointer to cut the Retrievers lead in half. Following an Amanda Hagaman layup in-transition, Anderson dialed up from beyond the arc again, drilling the triple to narrow UMBC's lead down to 24-22 with 3:40 left in the first half.
The Retrievers looked to hold their slim lead into halftime as McCarley knocked down 3 of 4 free throws. Despite her effort, freshman center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Anderson combined for six points in the last 1:28 of play to give the 'Cats the 28-27 edge into the break.
The two sides traded blows as the score quickly rose to 36-35 in favor of UNH to begin the second stanza. Hagaman converted a layup at the 14:30 mark to give the Retrievers a 37-36 edge.
New Hampshire was able to keep up with UMBC's scoring as Sarah-Marie Frankenberger (Gross Gerau, Germany) rattled in a pair of jumpers to stay within a point. However, the Retrievers strung together six straight points to take a 47-40 lead with 8:58 left in regulation.
Kilpatrick made it a one-score game again, as she was able to get to the free throw line and convert four consecutive free throws. However, the Retrievers padded their lead again, getting timely shots from Lewis, Hagaman and Garner to take a 52-44 lead into the waning moments of the match.
New Hampshire tried to mount a comeback in the last five minutes of play, sparked contributions from Belanger and Gaston. Despite their efforts, the Wildcats could not slow down the scoring of McCarley and Garner. The UMBC duo combined for 11 points in the last four minutes of regulation to put the game out of reach for UNH and give the visitors the 69-55 defeat.
UNH returns to Lundholm Gymnasium to welcome the University of Vermont on Wednesday, Feb. 11 (7 p.m.). The game will be available on AmericaEast.tv and the Wildcat Sports Radio Network. For tickets, visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603) 862-4000.
Check out 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).
