Women's Hoops Starts Second Half of AE Play, Hosts Binghamton for You Can Play/Alumni Day (Feb. 6, 1 P.M., Fox College Sports)

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team begins the second half of conference play when it hosts Binghamton University on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. for You Can Play/Alumni Day. The game will air live on Fox College Sports Atlantic (DirecTV channel 608, Dish Channel 444).

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: UNH looks to break its three game-losing streak after falling short in a 65-55 losing effort to UMBC on Jan. 27. Sophomore center Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the Wildcats with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Senior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) was close behind with 13 points and 9 rebounds. The Wildcats fell to 7-14 overall and 1-7 in America East play.

Belanger continues to be at the forefront of the offense and leads the team in scoring at 17 points per game. Belanger leads the team in minutes (34.9), rebounds (7.1) per game and also leads in steals with 32. She and Pogue are tied for second in America East in free throw shooting percentage at 86.3. Pogue has made 44 of her 51 foul shots and Belanger doubles those numbers at 88-for-102.

Pogue averages 10.8 points and 5 rebounds per game. Senior forward Corinne Coia (North Smithfield, R.I.) averages 9.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, good for third on the team. She has missed the last two games with an injury.

Belanger had 15 points and 10 rebounds in UNH's 51-50 loss at Binghamton on Jan. 9. It was one of her four double-doubles for the season.

SCOUTING BINGHAMTON: The Bearcats improved to 10-12 overall and 5-4 in America East with a 54-47 over Stony Brook at home on Wednesday night. Sophomore guard Imani Watkins scored 17 points for Binghamton and freshman guard Rebecca Carmody added 12 points and 6 rebounds. The Bearcats have reached double figures in overall wins for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Watkins leads the team with an average of 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Alyssa James averages 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds. Kim Albrecht, scoring double-digits in 20 out of 22 games played this season, is averaging 11.9 points. Carmody is averaging 7.9 points and is second on the team in rebounds with 6 per game.

James, a 6-foot-1 sophomore forward, is playing her first season since transferring from Div. 2 Caldwell College and leads America East with 64 blocks, 2.9 per game. Albrecht has made 62 of her 67 foul shots to lead the league with a .925 percentage from the line. Albrecht also leads the league in three-point shooting percentage at .424 (50-for-118).

Linda Cimino, a 2001 graduate of Adelphi University, is in her second season as head coach at Binghamton. The Bearcats were 4-26 overall and 2-14 in America East last season. Cimino came to Binghamton after eight years as head coach at Caldwell College.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BEARCATS: The Bearcats hold 20-11 series lead over the Wildcats. UNH looks to improve upon its 5-9 record in Durham. Earlier this year, the Bearcats bested the Wildcats by one point, winning 51-50 on a buzzer-beater layup (Jan. 9).

DUE NEXT: The 'Cats hit the road for a pair of contests at the University of Maine (Feb. 8- 7 p.m) and the University at Albany (Feb. 11- 12 p.m.). The team then returns home for their Breast Cancer Awareness game on Sunday, Feb. 14 against Stony Brook University.  Limited tickets are still available at www.UNHWilcats.com or by calling the Whittemore Center Ticket Office at (603) 862-4000 extension 5.

YOU CAN PLAY: America East has partnered with the You Can Play project to create an environment for all student-athletes to reach their full potential, on and off the court, by feeling safe, accepted and respected.

The You Can Play initiative promotes inclusion and stresses the importance and dignity of all who participate in athletics: athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, parents and fans. The You Can Play project emphasizes the student-athletes' skill, work ethic, competitiveness and teamwork . . . not sexual orientation or gender identity.

The message on the UNH shooting shirts with the rainbow symbol is that we, as a team and a university, value unity and individual difference. . . and we will treat everyone with respect.

The UNH men's basketball team has its You Can Play game on Monday, Feb. 8, against Maine.

WELCOME BACK: More than 30 former Wildcats – representing teams from 1940 through 2015 – are expected back today for Alumni Day. Players from Doris Flynn Grady, who played at UNH from 1940-42, to Sarah-Marie Frankenberger, 2010-15, and including award-winning journalist Jackie MacMullan Boyle (1978-82) are being honored and will be introduced at center court during 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, 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. An America East All-Conference First Team selection last year, Belanger is well on her way to collecting more honors.

CAREER CLIMBING: 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 1,297 career points.

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- 1,297
9.                  Candace Williams 2006-10 1,277
10. Theresa Redmond 1979-83 1,252

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. She currently ranks 10th all-time with 646 boards. Aubrey Danen (1998-2003) is at No. 9 with 666.

CLEAN GLASS: UNH pulls down 36.7 rebounds per game this season. In 21 games this season, New Hampshire has been only outrebounded three times. The Wildcats own a +2.7 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 64.3 percent of New Hampshire's points. The 'Cats inflict much of their scoring near the rim. New Hampshire is 6-4 this season when outscoring its opponent in the paint. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Wildcats are 32-10 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.

COIA IS BACK: Corinne Coia (North Smithfield, R.I.) returned to the squad after being sidelined by an injury for the 2014-15 season. She scored in double figures in her first six games of the year and is third on the team in scoring with 9.6 points a game and also third in rebounding at 4.2 a game. She scored a season-high 21 points against Sacred Heart on Nov. 18 and also had eight rebounds in that game.

Coia has missed the last two games with an injury. 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). Coia transferred to UNH after starting her collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island.

CP32: A member of the America East All-Rookie Team in 2014-15, Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) is right back at it as a sophomore. The 6-foot-2 center has scored in double figures in a dozen games this season and is second on the team in scoring with 10.8 points a game. She is also second in rebounds with 5 a game. Pogue put up a season-high 22 points against Siena on Dec. 9. She posted a double-double against Northeastern with 13 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.

GRANITE STATE GROWN: Aliza Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.), a sophomore guard, was the New Hampshire Gatorade and NHIAA Player of the Year in 2013-14 and is putting up a solid second season. She averages 4.9 points and 3 rebounds a game and is second on the team in assists and steals. Simpson hit for a season-high 12 points against Boston University on Dec. 5 and then matched that number two games later vs. Boston College on Dec. 13. She had her career-high of 11 rebounds against Dartmouth on Nov. 16.

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. Against UMBC on Jan. 30, she had career highs in assists with four and blocks with three.

BOOTH DOES AS WELL: Sophomore forward Peyton Booth (Wadsworth, Ohio) made her inaugural start in that same game against Yale. Booth scored a career-high nine points against Vermont on Jan. 27 and did not miss a shot. She made the one three-pointer she took and had three two-point field goals. Booth had a career-high eight rebounds against Manhattan.

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 16.0 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 (41) than defensive boards (38).

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 58 helpers this season. Anderson has 234 career assists.

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
Feb. 25 vs. Vermont

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.

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