University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
University of Maine
Women's Hoops Eyes Rival Maine (Feb. 8, 7 p.m.)
2/7/2016 6:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team travels to second-place University of Maine for a matchup on Monday, Feb. 8 at 7 P.M.
THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: Freshman Ashley Storey (Cumberland, Maine) destroyed her previous season-high in points with a 22-point effort as UNH opened the second half of the America East portion of its schedule with a 64-49 win over Binghamton on Saturday. The Wildcats gained a measure of revenge with the victory. They lost their first conference game of the season at Binghamton at the buzzer, 51-50, on Jan. 9. UNH is 8-14 overall and 2-7 in America East.
Senior guard Elizabeth Belanger (Acton, Mass.) had 19 points and 12 rebounds against Binghamton for her fifth double-double of the season and second in the last four games. Sophomore Carlie Pogue (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 10 rebounds. UNH outrebounded Binghamton 43-32 overall and 17-11 on the offensive glass. Storey made 10 of her 12 field goals, including both her free throws, and added 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal to her totals. Her previous high in points was 9.
Belanger leads the Wildcats in scoring (17.1 points per game), rebounding (7.3) and steals (32 total). Pogue joins Belanger in double figure scoring (10.5) and is second on the team in rebounds at 5.3. Senior forward Corinne Coia (North Smithfield, R.I.) averages 9.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. She has missed the last three games with an injury.
Junior Kristen Anderson (Greene, Maine) leads the team in assists with 3.4 per game.
SCOUTING MAINE: The Black Bears cruised past UMBC, 72-38, on the road Saturday for their sixth straight win. They are 18-7 overall, 9-1 in the league and 9-0 in their home games. Maine's only league loss came at Albany, 64-59, on Jan. 16. The Black Bears started their win streak two days later with their 62-52 win over UNH.
Senior forward Bella Swan scored 21 points, junior guard Sigi Koizar had 11 points and seven rebounds and senior guard Liz Wood had 10 points in the win over UMBC.
Koizar averages 16.5 points a game and 4 assists to lead the Black Bears. Wood averages 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. Koizar leads America East in three-point field goals made with 58 and three-point field goal percentage at .417. Maine leads the league in three-point field goals made with 6.4 per game.
The Black Bears also lead the league in scoring defense at 50.7 points allowed per game. UNH is sixth, allowing 60.5 points a game. Maine scores 61.2 points a game and New Hampshire is at 58.4.
Richard Barron, a 1991 graduate of Kenyon College, is in his fifth year as the head coach at Maine. The Black Bears were 23-9 overall last season and earned a share of the America East regular season championship by matching Albany's 14-2 league record. Barron was an assistant coach for two-year stints at North Carolina State and Baylor before coming to Maine. He was the head coach at Princeton for six seasons before that.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BLACK BEARS: The Black Bears hold 47-30 series lead over the Wildcats. Earlier this year, Maine beat UNH by a score of 62-52 at Lundholm Gym (Jan. 18).
DUE NEXT: The Wildcats play at league-leading University at Albany on Thursday at noon. The team then returns home for their Breast Cancer Awareness game on Sunday, Feb. 14 against Stony Brook University.
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. She had 19 points and 12 assists against Binghamton on Feb. 6 for her fifth double-double. 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 1,316 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- 1,316
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. Her 12 rebounds against Binghamton give her 658 for her career. Aubrey Danen (1998-2003) is at No. 9 with 666.
CLEAN GLASS: UNH pulls down 37.0 rebounds per game this season. In 22 games this season, New Hampshire has been only outrebounded three times. The Wildcats own a +3.1 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 37.1 points per game this season, accounting for 63.5 percent of New Hampshire's points. The 'Cats inflict much of their scoring near the rim. New Hampshire is 7-4 this season when outscoring its opponent in the paint. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Wildcats are 33-10 when they win the scoring battle in the paint.
LEAD AT HALF AND NEVER LOOK BACK: The Wildcats have led eight times entering the locker room and won seven of those eight games this season.
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 crushed her previous career-high of nine points with 22 against Binghamton on Feb. 6. She made 10 of her 12 field goals in the game and also had four rebounds and two blocks. Storey had 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.
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 10.5 points a game. She is also second in rebounds with 5.3 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.
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 three 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.
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 5.2 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.
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 4.4 points and 3.9 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 (45) than defensive boards (40).
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 61 helpers this season. Anderson has 237 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
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