Men’s Hoops Starts Second Half of AE Play at Binghamton (Feb. 6; 4 p.m.)

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire men's basketball team kick starts the second half of America East play at Binghamton University on Saturday, Feb. 6 (4 p.m.) after a six-day break.

Looking Ahead
New Hampshire returns home Monday, Feb. 8 (7 p.m.) with a chance at a season sweep of the University of Maine. UNH then hosts the University at Albany on Thursday, Feb. 11 (7 p.m.) on ESPN3. Fans are asked to wear white for both games to White Out Lundholm. There will be t-shirt giveaways for the first 500 fans to each contest. Limited tickets are available so be sure to visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call the box office at 603-862-4000.

Cat Facts

UNH has won three straight road games, two separate times this season.
The Wildcats' 12-9 record matches the mark set a season ago through 21 games.
Through eight conference games, UNH ranks first in offensive rebounds (12.1 rpg) and defensive rebounds (29.0 rpg).
UNH drilled 10, 3-pointers at UMBC, the highest mark since it made 11 at UAlbany on Jan. 12.
UMBC was held to only 14, 3-point attempts, the second lowest total allowed by the Wildcats this season.

The State of New Hampshire
New Hampshire is coming off a win over UMBC last Saturday and have now won five of their last six and three straight road games. The victory was the Wildcats seventh 80+-point (84-81) game of the season. Junior Jaleen Smith (Freeport, Texas) led the team with 21 points while playing all 40 minutes. Classmate Jacoby Armstrong (Sachse, Texas) added a double-double off the bench with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Freshman Pat McNamara (Arlington Heights, Ill.) went 4 of 5 on 3-pointers for 12 points and the team shot 47.6% from behind the arc, their third highest percentage on the season.

UMBC shot 50% in the first half and took their biggest lead of the game, nine-points, at 12:49. They took a four-point lead into halftime. UNH upped the defensive pressure in the second frame, holding the Retrievers to 42.9 percent from the field. The Wildcats had a huge half offensively, pouring in 47 points and shooting 48.1 percent from the field.

Sophomore Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) leads the team with 14.7 points per game. Leissner also grabs 6.3 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team to classmate Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) who averages 9.3 per game. Smith scores 12.8 points, grabs 5.8 rebounds, and dishes 3.8 assists per game. Armstrong, who has scored double digits in five of his last six games, is averaging 12.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Bearcats
Binghamton dropped its second straight game with a 76-51 loss at Stony Brook University on Feb. 3. The Bearcats have struggled mightily on the road this season, winning just two of 12 games away from home.

The Bearcats led 28-27 at halftime after a fast start from beyond the arc (three-of-six on threes). However, Binghamton fell flat in the second half while being outscored, 49-23.

Sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez led Binghamton with 16 points (7-15 FG) and nine rebounds.

Junior guard Marlon Beck boosted the Bearcats to their halftime lead with nine first-half points, all coming from three-point field goals. He hit all three of his shots from beyond the arc in the half. Beck finished with 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting from the field.

The Bearcats are shooting 37.4 percent from the field and averaging 58.9 points per game. Opponents outscore Binghamton by 10.2 ppg on average this season.

Just like he was against Stony Brook, Rodriguez is Binghamton's most reliable scoring threat this season. He leads Binghamton with 14.4 ppg while his 6.5 rebounds per game put him at the pinnacle of that category, as well.

While focusing on stopping Rodriguez, the Wildcats also have to contain Binghamton's outstanding pair of freshmen. Davis leads his team with 56 assists thus far and ranks second in team scoring with 10.0 ppg. Meanwhile, freshman forward Thomas Bruce is making an immediate impact with 5.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 18 games.

Beck has been a consistent scoring threat in his third season with Binghamton, averaging 9.9 points in 22 games.

All-Time Series
Binghamton holds a slight 16-13 record overall against the Wildcats, but UNH has toppled the Bearcats the last three matchups. Binghamton last won at home two seasons ago, Jan. 9, 2014, in a 67-38 victory. New Hampshire travels to Binghamton after defeating the Bearcats 58-43 at Lundholm Gymnasium back on Jan. 9, 58-43.

Locked In Leissner
Forward Leissner is coming off a freshman campaign where he led the team in scoring and collected the 2015 America East Rookie of the Year honor. This season, he again leads the team with 14.7 points per game and grabs 6.3 rebounds per game. Leissner has totaled 20+ points six times this season, most recently at UMass Lowell (Jan. 21) in a 27-point night just after a career-high 30-point outburst at Maine (Jan. 18). Leissner is third in the conference in points per game and ranks ninth in rebounds per game.

30-Point Special
Leissner recorded the Wildcats' first 30-point scorer since Jan. 11, 2011 when Tyrone Conley scored 33 points against Hartford. Conley finished with 10 field goals including six threes in the game, both single-game highs that season. Leissner did his work in the paint with 11 of 18 shooting and no 3-point attempts. The sophomore also finished 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. In just 30 minutes of action, Leissner also grabbed seven rebounds.

AE Free Throw: 1, 2
The Wildcats hold the top-two free throw shooters in the conference led junior Daniel Dion (Cedar Park, Texas) who holds the number one with an 89.5 percentage (34-38). Smith holds the number two spot shooting 87.1 percent (61-70) this season. Dion is unranked nationally because he makes 2.0 free throws per game when he needs to shoot 2.5 per contest.

Let's Hit The Road
UNH won three straight road games for the first time since the 2005-06 season with wins over the College of the Holy Cross (Nov. 19; 73-69), Brown University (Nov. 24; 88-77) and Abilene Christian (Dec. 3; 86-75). The Wildcats never scored more than 75 points during the 2005-06 streak as they totaled two in the three-game stretch this season. The Wildcats rattled off three more consecutive roads wins after a road loss to UAlbany. With wins over Maine (Jan. 18; 99-91), UMass Lowell (Jan. 21; 78-76) and UMBC (Jan. 30; 84-81) the Wildcats have completed the feat twice in one season. The Wildcats have not won three straight road games, two separate times, in a season going back to 1960-61.

Zeroed In
Smith totals 12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and leads the 'Cats with 3.8 assists per contest. The floor general paces the squad in minutes with 35.6 per game. Smith recorded his first double-double of the season, second of his career, in the 82-45 season-opening win against Lyndon State University. In the program's first victory over Bryant University, Smith scored a career-high 23 points (7 of 13) in 40 minutes of action. Most recently, Smith poured in 21 points at UMBC (Jan. 30), his second double-digit scoring game in the past six games.

Casual Camara
Camara nearly averages a double-double with 8.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He opened the season with a 20-rebound effort against Lyndon St. and scored 15 points for his first double-double. The Senegal native has tallied five double-doubles this year to lead the team. A season ago, Camara averaged just 3.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Camara leads the team with 10, 10+ rebound games through 20 contests and ranks 36^th in the country in rebounds per game.

Home Sweet Home
The Wildcats are 6-3 when playing at Lundholm Gymnasium this season and are 18-6 in Durham going back to last season.

Fives Alive
Dion has a knack for scoring (9.1 ppg), something he's had since arriving at UNH. Dion drilled a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds to play against UMass Lowell to push the Wildcats to a 78-76 victory on the road, a play which finished #3 on SportsCenter's top-10 plays of the night. He scored a season-high 19 points at Maine (Jan. 18) as he matched a career-high in free-throws made (7). The 6-foot scorer uses his quickness and creative offense to open space for his quick release (34.5 percent). He totaled double-digit scoring in four straight games from Dec. 3 to Dec. 13. During his sophomore season, the Texas native tallied 9.2 points per game after a freshman season where he scored 8.2 per contest.

Let's Go Home
The men's basketball team scheduled a trip to Texas this season to tackle Abilene Christian (Dec. 3; 8 p.m.) and Southern Methodist University (Dec. 5; 1:30 p.m.) to give the six-active Texas natives on the team a chance to play in front of family and friends. The five-day trip consisted of an 86-75 win over Abilene Christian, the program's first win in the state of Texas, and a 98-44 loss to No. 22 Southern Methodist.

Strong Play
Armstrong recorded his second-career double-double at UMass Lowell with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of action. He poured in a personal-best 26 points in an 88-77 win at Brown followed by a 22-point outburst against American to lead all scorers. This season, the 2015 America East All-Conference Third Team member is scoring 12.4 points and corralling 5.5 rebounds per game.

Old Man On The Mountain
As the lone senior this season, senior Ronnel Jordan (San Antonio, Texas) leads by example on the court. The Texas native poured in a career-best 25 points against Hartford on 10 of 17 shooting. Jordan averages 8.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game after starting 17 of 21 games played.

The Lone Star State
UNH has seven individuals from the state of Texas. Armstrong, freshman Andrew Dotson (Arlington, Texas), Dion, Jordan, Leissner, transfer Jordan Reed (Lucas, Texas) and Smith all chose the chilly New England weather over the hot lone star state.

Double-Double Dose
UNH student-athletes have tallied 10 double-doubles through 21 games, led by Camara who has five. Leissner has two double-doubles, Armstrong has two, while Smith has totaled one. Just a year ago, the Wildcats had five double-double stat lines in 32 games played. Leissner led UNH with four during 2014-15.

3-Point D
The Wildcats held Binghamton (Jan. 9) to a season-low 15.0 percent (3 of 20) from beyond the arc in the conference season opener.

Mac Truck
McNamara is shooting 46.0 percent from beyond the arc this season, and went a season-high 6-for-9 on 3-pointers at Holy Cross with five in the second half. In just his fourth league game this season, McNamara came off the bench against UMBC and went 4 of 5 from beyond the arc for 12 points in 18 minutes of action. The Illinois native scored 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting, including three treys, in the season opener against Lyndon State College. Last season, the Wildcats topped the league in 3-point field-goal percentage with a 37.4 percent mark.

Wildcat Captains
Smith, Armstrong and junior Joe Bramanti (Andover, Mass.) bring leadership to the Wildcats this season. Bramanti returns to captaincy after last year's role produced a balanced team. Smith and Armstrong join Bramanti in their junior seasons, all with UNH, with a combined 3,000+ minutes of game time.

Burn Baby Burn
Sophomore Keon Burns (Beaverton, Ore.) has started in 7 of 19 games this season and averages 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. The 6-foot, 4-inch guard poured in a career-high 10 points and six rebounds against Brown (Nov. 24). Burns' father Jack played hoops at UNH from 1978-82.

Herrion Wins Again
Head coach Bill Herrion has won 129 games while a head coach at UNH and ranks second all-time on the coaching wins' list. He overtook William Cowell (1916-28), who won 119 games throughout his 12-year coaching career, in a 73-69 win over Holy Cross (Nov. 19). Next on the list is Gerry Friel (1969-89), who tallied 185 wins in 20 years of leadership.

Look Ma, I'm On TV
By the end of the season, the Wildcats will have played six games on ESPN3 and three additional games on a local TV broadcast. So far, UNH has played on ESPN3 at UConn, at Southern Methodist University, at Boston College and at UMass Lowell. The Wildcats will play on ESPN3 at home against Vermont and Albany. New Hampshire wrapped up its television games against Stony Brook on Fox College Sports. UNH also played on WBIN Classics against Dartmouth and was on SportsNet New York at UConn, as well.

New 'Cats in Town
New Hampshire welcomes four newcomers to the roster this season. Dotson was the 2014-15 District Offensive MVP in his area during his senior year, averaging 20.3 points per game. McNamara averaged 18 points per game in his senior season and was a regional champion, and All-Conference and All-Area selection. Forward David Watkins (Dorchester, Mass.) who was a top-30 player in New England last year. He received the most valuable player award in both junior and senior season at Brimmer and May School. Reed is a transfer from Rice University and played in 12 games but will have to sit out this season because of transfer regulations.

Graduation Success Rate
The Wildcats received a perfect GSR of 100 percent in the NCAA report released on Nov. 4. Men's basketball was one of four New Hampshire programs that had the unblemished rating. The team was tied for first in the America East conference against other basketball squads in the conference. All 20 UNH athletic programs as a whole recorded a GSR of 90 percent.

2014-15 America East Award Winners
Joining Leissner, Armstrong was an America East All-Conference Third Team member with Matt Miller who joined the coaching staff after graduation. Bramanti was an All-Defensive Team selection and Smith was named to the All-Championship Team for his play during the tournament.

2015-16 America East Weekly Award Winners
Iba Camara - Player of the Week (Nov. 16)
Tanner Leissner – Player of the Week (Jan. 25)

Miller Moves On
After Miller was denied a sixth season as a Wildcat, the team decided to add him to the coaching staff to help build the team for a title run. Miller was a key cog to the success last season, leading the America East in 3-point field goal percentage (48.1 percent) and ranking second in threes made (63). He finished his UNH career ranked 10th in threes made in a season and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage in a season. Additionally, Miller's shooting finishes second in the UNH record books for career 3-point field goal percentage.

Wildcats on the Air
The Wildcat Sports Radio Network will broadcast a total of 15 UNH men's basketball regular-season games during the 2015-16 season and will air the games for the America East Championships. 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 affiliates include (times/dates subject to change):

WPKX-AM - 930 - Rochester

WGIR-AM - 610 - Manchester

Live Stream - Stretch Internet - UNHWildcats.com

Here is the complete radio schedule:
Nov. 13 vs. Lyndon St. (7:30 p.m.)- W, 82-45
Nov. 19 at Holy Cross (7 p.m.)- W, 73-69
Nov. 28 vs. American (12 p.m.)- L, 68-50
Nov. 30 vs. Bryant (7 p.m.)- W, 75-67
Dec. 19 vs. Dartmouth (1 p.m.)- W, 76-56
Dec. 21 at Boston U. (7 p.m.)- L, 78-74
Dec. 30 at Boston College (2 p.m.)- L, 72-67 OT
Jan. 9 vs. Binghamton (1 p.m.)- W, 58-43
Jan. 16 vs. Stony Brook (1 p.m.)- L, 80-50
Jan. 24 vs. Hartford (1 p.m.) – W, 84-71
Jan. 27 vs. Vermont (7 p.m.)- L, 66-50
Feb. 8 vs. Maine (7 p.m.)
Feb. vs. 11 UAlbany (7 p.m.)
Feb. 17 vs. UMass Lowell (7 p.m.)
Feb. 27 vs. UMBC (12 p.m.)

The Wildcats are 6-5 overall when radio is broadcasting.

Preseason Predictions
New Hampshire was selected to finish fourth in the conference this season with 47 points. Leissner was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team as well, the only non-senior selected to the team.

Men's Hoops Media Center
To check out career numbers, year-by-year results, alumni roster and much more, head over to the men's basketball page at UNHWildcats.com and look under the additional links tab to find the media center link.

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