Women's Hoops Hosts UMBC (Jan. 30, 1 p.m. - WBIN Classics/Fox College Sports)

Channel Info: FCS Pacific (DirecTV Channel 608, Dish Channel 445)

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team closes out the first run through America East play when they host University of Mayland, Baltimore County on Saturday, Jan. 30 (1 p.m.) on WBIN Classics and Fox College Sports.

STORYLINES:

- Elizabeth Belanger is averaging 23.6 points and eight rebounds per game in her last five games.

- She has hit her career-high of 32 points a game twice in that span, against Stony Brook and UMass Lowell.

- Belanger ranks No. 8 on UNH's career scoring list with 1,284 points. She passed Candace Williams (1,277 points from 2006-10) with her 24 points against Vermont.

- UNH and UMBC split their games last year with each winning on its home court. UNH won at home, 67-45, on Jan. 10 and UMBC won, 69-55, on Feb. 7.

- Next up: Saturday completes the team's first run through America East. The second half of the league schedule begins with a home game against Binghamton on Saturday, Feb. 30

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: UNH looks to bounce back following an 83-63 loss at the University of Vermont on Jan. 27. Senior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) guided the Wildcats with a team-high 24 points. Sophomore center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) notched 17 points and seven rebounds for UNH. The loss, New Hampshire's second straight, dropped its record to 7-13 overall and 1-6 in America East play.

Belanger has powered the Wildcats all season, leading her team with 17.2 points while starting in all 20 games thus far. The senior's seven rebounds per game put her at the top of that statistical category as well.

Pogue averages 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Senior forward Corinne Coia (North Smithfield, R.I.), after sitting out last season due to injury, has recorded 9.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season but missed the Vermont game with an injury.

SCOUTING UMBC: The Retrievers (12-8, 3-4 America East) mounted a 21-point third quarter to soar past Binghamton University 62-51 on Jan. 27 at RAC Arena. UMBC currently sits at sixth place in the conference. Junior guard Taylor McCarley led the Retrievers with 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Junior forward Pandora Wilson scored a team-high 18 points for the Retrievers against Binghamton and reached a double-double performance with 10 rebounds. UMBC also received a strong effort from junior forward Amanda Hagaman, who totaled eight points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Liz McNaughton posted an efficient seven points and three rebounds in just 12 minutes on the court.

The Retrievers rank third in America East scoring offense with an average of 61.3 points per game. The Retrievers have also been very strong in the turnover department, leading the conference with 12.4 steals per game in addition to holding the best turnover margin (+7) in America East.

Wilson (12.9 ppg) and McCarley (12.2 ppg) have highlighted UMBC's offense this season. But both players do more than just score. McCarley, in addition to ranking second on her team in scoring, leads UMBC in assists with 5.6 per game and is fourth in rebounding with 4.1 per contest. Wilson couples her scoring ability with a strong presence on the glass, as she also leads UMBC in rebounding (7.1 per game).

Head coach Phil Stern is in his 14th season with the Retrievers. Last season, Stern recorded his 250th career win and 150th as UMBC head coach, making him the program's all-time leader in wins. The Retrievers finished 12-19 overall and 6-10 in the league last season.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. RETRIEVERS: The Retrievers hold a slight 13-12 series lead over the Wildcats. In Durham, UNH looks to improve upon its 7-5 record. Last year, the teams split the series (1-1) with each team winning at home.

DUE NEXT: The 'Cats return to action at Lundholm Gym next Saturday (Feb. 6) for a 1 p.m. tip-off with Binghamton. It will be the Wildcats' You Can Play game and Alumni Day. Alumni will be recognized at halftime.

BELANGER'S ON FIRE: Senior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) has been on a tear for the Wildcats. She scored a career-high 29 points against North Carolina on Dec. 29 and has eclipsed that number twice since. She had 32 points with nine rebounds against Stony Brook, 17 points with eight rebounds against Maine and 32 points again with seven rebounds against UMass Lowell. The UMass Lowell game was especially impressive. Belanger made 12 of the 16 field goals she attempted, including three of her five three-pointers. She made five of her six free throws. And oh yes, for good measure, she had four of UNH's six steals in the game. Against Hartford on Sunday, Belanger contributed her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds and also had three steals, two blocks and two assists.

SHE REBOUNDS, TOO: Belanger not only has climbed into the Top 10 in career scoring for the Wildcats, she's Top 10 in rebounding as well. Her five rebounds against Vermont gave her 637 for her career, moving her past Orsi Farkas (1996-2000) into tenth. Aubrey Danen (1998-2003) is at No. 9 with 666.

BELANGER AT THE STRIPE: Elizabeth Belanger, a career 77.2 percent free throw shooter, is having a breakout year from the charity stripe. The senior guard has knocked down 83 of 96 attempts, boasting a .865 free throw percentage. She is second among America East players and ranked 35th in the nation as of Jan. 29.

CLEAN GLASS: UNH pulls down 36.8 rebounds per game this season. In 20 games this season, New Hampshire has been only outrebounded three times. The Wildcats own a +2.8 margin on the glass, which is good for third-best in the America East.

UP FRONT AND PERSONAL: The front court of Elizabeth Belanger, Corinne Coia and Carlie Pogue have backboned the scoring for UNH this season. The trio registers 37.4 points per game this season, accounting for 64.2 percent of New Hampshire's points. The 'Cats inflict much of their scoring near the rim. New Hampshire is 6-3 this season when outscoring its opponent in the paint. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Wildcats are 32-9 when they win the scoring battle in the paint.

LEAD AT HALF AND NEVER LOOK BACK: The Wildcats have led seven times entering the locker room and won six of those seven games this season.

6-OH-E: Senior guard Elizabeth Belanger earned the nod as a member of the America East Preseason First Team this season. An America East All-Conference First Team honoree last season, the guard has scored at least 20 points 17 times in her career and eight times this season. She leads the Wildcats in scoring (17.2) points per game) rebounding (7.0 rebounds per game), free throw percentage (.865) and steals (32). Belanger produced a double-double effort of 22 points and 10 rebounds in an 81-69 win at Sacred Heart (Nov. 18). She exploded for a 23-point, 13-rebound effort in a 67-60 setback against Penn on Nov. 22. Belanger tallied a game-high 17 points in the 64-50 win at CCSU on Nov. 29. She poured in 27 points in the 66-54 loss to Northeastern (Dec. 2). The guard engineered another 20-point performance, dropping 24 against Boston University in a 69-52 rout. Belanger set career-highs in points scored (28) and free throws made (14) in a 65-60 loss at North Carolina. She then broke that career-high with an impressive 32-point performance in a 63-54 loss at Stony Brook (Jan. 16) and tied it again with 32 points against UMass Lowell (Jan. 21). The senior's 1,284 career points ranks third among active America East players and 8th in program history.

COIA IS BACK: Corinne Coia returns to the squad after being sidelined by an injury for the 2014-15 season. In her first full season playing for UNH in 2013-14, the America East All-Conference Second Team honoree played in 30 games with 25 starts. She averaged 11.8 points per game and ranked first on the squad in field goal percentage (.475). The 6-foot-4 forward eclipsed at least 10 points in a team-high 21 of 30 games and paced the Wildcats with six double-doubles. The senior has hit double figures in nine games this season. In her season debut, Coia posted 10 points at home against Colby-Sawyer (Nov. 13) in a 74-41 win. She followed with a 16-point performance on the road at Dartmouth (Nov. 16) in the come-from-behind 61-57 win. Coia notched a season-high 21 points and eight rebounds in an 81-69 win at Sacred Heart on Nov. 18. The senior logged 11 points and six rebounds in the 67-60 loss at home against Penn (Nov. 22). Coia tallied a game-high 19 points to help propel the Wildcats to a 72-57 win over Manhattan on Nov. 24. She poured in 14 points in the 60-44 triumph at Central Connecticut (Nov. 29). Against Boston University (Dec. 5), the senior turned in 13 points in the 69-52 triumph. On Jan. 13 Coia notched 13 second-half points against a tough UAlbany team. Coia averages 9.6 points per game, third best on the squad.

CP32: A member of the America East All-Rookie Team in 2014-15, Carlie Pogue is putting together a strong sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-2 center has registered at least 10 points in 11 games this season. In the second game of the 2015-16 slate, she chalked up a season-high 19-point performance on 9 of 10 shooting in the 61-57 win at Dartmouth (Nov. 16). Pogue followed up by pouring in 15 points in the 81-69 win on the road against Sacred Heart (Nov. 18). She chalked up 14 points in the 67-60 loss against Penn (Nov. 22). Against Manhattan (Nov. 24), Pogue pitched in 10 points in a 72-57 win. She notched her first double-double of the season with a 13-point, 11-rebound performance in a 66-54 setback against Northeastern on Dec. 2. The sophomore notched a season-high three blocks in the 69-52 win against BU (Dec. 5). Pogue logged a season-high 22-point performance in a 57-53 setback against Siena (Dec. 9), just two points shy of matching her personal best. She turned in 10 points, three rebounds and a steal at North Carolina on Dec. 29. The sophomore logged 12 points and 2 blocks against UAlbany (Jan. 13) and 17 points in a loss at Vermont (Jan. 27). Pogue registers 10.6 points per game.

GRANITE STATE GROWN: Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.), a sophomore guard, chose to play collegiate basketball in her home state of New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Gatorade and NHIAA Player of the Year in 2013-14, is off to a good start to her sophomore season. Against Colby-Sawyer (Nov. 13), the sophomore scored 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting in the season debut. On the road at Dartmouth (Nov. 16), the guard was one-point shy of a double-double, posting nine points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Simpson also matched her personal best in steals with four. Against Boston University (Dec. 5), Simpson was one-point shy of a personal best in scoring with a 12-point performance to help the 'Cats forge a 69-52 win. The guard also reached 12 points in a 71-51 setback at Boston College (Dec. 13). Against UAlbany, Simpson tallied six points and four assists (Jan. 13). The sophomore is second on the team with 25 steals.

STOREY STARTS: Freshman forward Ashley Storey (Cumberland, Maine) broke into the starting lineup for the first time on Jan. 2 at Yale. She scored eight points and had five rebounds in that game. Storey had another eight points and a career-high eight rebounds at Stony Brook on Jan. 16.

AND PEYTON DOES, TOO: Sophomore forward Peyton Booth (Wadsworth, Ohio) made her inaugural start in that same game against Yale. Booth had career highs of seven points against Siena and UMass Lowell and a career-high eight rebounds against Manhattan. She had 18 assists in her first seven games as a starter. Against Vermont, Booth shot 4-for-4 and broke her career-high in scoring with nine points (Jan. 27).

SPARK OFF THE BENCH: Senior guard/forward Stephanie Spoto (Pittsford, N.Y.) has enjoyed a good start to the 2015-16 season coming off the bench. She has averaged 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds, setting new personal bests in scoring three times this season. She first hit a career-high in scoring with 10 points in an 81-69 win at Sacred Heart (Nov. 18). She bested her career-high in the scoring column with a 12-point effort against Manhattan (Nov. 24) in a 72-57 victory. In the win against Manhattan she also matched her personal best on the glass with eight rebounds. Spoto has registered 15.7 minutes per game this season. Her tenacity off the bench is represented by the fact that she is the only Wildcat with more offensive rebounds (38) than defensive boards (34).

PASS THE ROCK: Kristen Anderson dished out a career-high nine assists in the 81-69 win at Sacred Heart on Nov. 18. The junior guard leads the team with 53 helpers this season. Anderson has 229 career assists.

MOVING UP THE LEADERBOARD: Elizabeth Belanger hit the 1,000-point milestone on a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter at Lundholm Gymnasium against Penn on Nov. 22. She became the 19th player in program history to accomplish the feat and ranks 8th in program history with 1,284 career points. She passed assistant coach Kelsey Hogan (1,181) with her 32-point effort at Stony Brook (Jan. 16).

Below are the Top 10 UNH all-time scorers.

1.                  Kris Kinney 1985-89 2,231
2.                  Laura Seiden 1989-93 1,602
3. Sheila Danker 1993-97 1,539
4.                  Maren Matthias 2000-04 1,503
5.                  Orsi Farkas 1996-00 1,434
6.                  Denise Beliveau                  2007-12                                    1,365
7.                  Danielle Clark 2003-07                                    1,331
8.                  Elizabeth Belanger 2012- 1,284
9.                  Candace Williams 2006-10                                    1,277
10. Theresa Redmond 1979-83 1,252

20-20: Elizabeth Belanger and Corinne Coia each scored over 20 points in the win at Sacred Heart on Nov. 18. It marks the first time two UNH players scored 20 or more points in a game since Coia and Kelsey Hogan '14 accomplished the feat on Feb. 22, 2014.

FROM THE 603: Two student-athletes on the 2015-16 roster hail from New Hampshire. They are junior Kat Fogarty (Peterborough) and sophomore Aliza Simpson (Londonderry).

MARIST MATES: The Wildcats have two players lending a major hand in practice this season while they sit out as transfers. Guard Brittni Lai and forward Kat Fogarty both played for Marist the last two seasons before deciding to transfer to UNH. They have two years of eligibility remaining, starting next season. Lai averaged 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 21.4 minutes a game last season at Marist. Fogarty played 17.1 minutes a game last season and averaged 4.4 points and 4 rebounds per contest.

Lai and Fogarty strengthen the Marist connection on the team. UNH head coach Maureen Magarity and assistant coach Brendan Copes were captains of their teams at Marist and graduated from the school in 2003.

WILDCATS IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Four of New Hampshire's games this season will be televised. UNH and Maine renewed its rivalry in Durham on Jan. 18, which was featured on ESPN3. New Hampshire is back on ESPN3 six days later on Jan. 24 in a rematch of the America East quarterfinals at Hartford. The game between UNH and UMBC at Lundholm Gymnasium on Jan. 30 will be featured on WBIN Classics. In the following game (Feb. 6), New Hampshire and Binghamton will air on Fox College Sports. Additionally, every game of the 2015 America East Women's Basketball Championship will air on the ESPN networks, including the championship game.

MO' WINS MO' YEARS: On April 24, 2014, head coach Maureen Magarity agreed to a five-year extension with the UNH women's basketball team.

In five seasons at New Hampshire, Magarity has led the Wildcats to back-to-back semifinal appearances in the America East tournament in 2013 and 2014. In the 2013-14 season, she guided the Wildcats to a personal-best 19-12 overall record and 12-4 in conference play, the most wins in a single season since the 1998-99 season (19-8, 13-5 AE).
UNH has not had a 20-win season since the 1983-84 season. Here is a look the at the past seasons in program history with at least 19 wins:

1982-83    23-7
1983-84    20-8
1987-88    19-8 (11-3)
1998-99    19-8 (13-5)
2013-14    19-12 (12-4)*
* Coached by Maureen Magarity

LEADER OF THE 'CAT PACK: The 2015-16 season marks the sixth season for head coach Maureen Magarity, who became the sixth head coach in program history in May 2010 and the youngest coach of a Division I team – men's or women's – in the country. Magarity quickly made a positive impact on the program with a 73-76 record in her first five seasons; in comparison, UNH was a combined 33-87 the four years prior to her arrival. In 2014-15, New Hampshire finished the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 17-12 and 9-7 against America East opponents. The Wildcats finished the season fourth in the league standings and reached double digit wins for the fourth consecutive year. Magarity led the Wildcats to a 19-12 record and 12-4 in America East play, the most wins in a single season since the 1998-99 season. Additionally, Magarity directed New Hampshire to its second consecutive appearance in the America East semifinals, topping Vermont 85-79 (March 7). In just her second year at the helm in Durham, Magarity guided the Wildcats to their second postseason appearance (beyond conference postseason play) in the program's 37-year history when UNH advanced to the 2012 Women's Basketball Invitational. New Hampshire finished the year with a 16-14 overall record to mark the team's first winning season since 2006 and most wins since 2002. In her first season, Magarity led the Wildcats to a 9-20 overall record and they doubled their conference wins from the previous season.

ROAD WARRIORS: UNH traveled a total of 2,743.4 miles in its season-long five-game road swing. The 'Cats began the road trip at Boston College on Sunday, Dec. 13 (1 p.m.). New Hampshire then trekked to Bryant University on Sunday, Dec. 20 (1 p.m.). After a visit to the Tar Heel State on Tuesday, Dec. 29 (2 p.m.) against the University of North Carolina, UNH traveled to Yale University to close out its non-conference schedule Saturday, Jan. 2 (2 p.m.). New Hampshire capped off the road trip at Binghamton University to open the America East schedule Saturday, Jan. 9 (4 p.m.).

WILDCATS ON THE AIR: In 2015-16, select UNH basketball games can be heard on three channels spanning the Seacoast and Manchester. 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 will broadcast a total of 14 UNH women's basketball regular-season games during the 2015-16 season and will air the games during the America East Championships. The Wildcat Sports Radio Network affiliates include:

WPKX-AM - 930 - Rochester
WGIR-AM - 610 - Manchester
Live Stream - Stretch - UNHWildcats.com

Here is the complete schedule:

Nov. 13 vs. Colby-Sawyer
Nov. 22 vs. Penn
Dec. 2 vs. Northeastern
Dec. 5 vs. Boston University
Dec. 9 vs. Siena
Dec. 20 at Bryant
Jan. 13 vs. UAlbany
Jan. 18 vs. Maine
Jan. 21 vs. UMass Lowell
Jan. 30 vs. UMBC
Feb. 6 vs. Binghamton
Feb. 14 vs. Stony Brook
Feb. 20 vs. Hartford

For the most up-to-date information on the women'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. Click HERE to sign up for newsletters on your favorite sports.

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