University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
Cornell University
Non-Conference Schedule Ends Friday as UNH hosts Cornell
12/27/2017 12:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team wraps up the non-conference part of their schedule as they host the Cornell Big Red on Friday Dec. 29 at 7 P.M.
The Wildcats are coming off a mid-week win against Sacred Heart last Wednesday, scoring 74 points for the second time this season and leading by as much as 40 points, their largest lead of the year.
THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Senior Kat Fogarty scored 16 points and classmate Olivia Healy added 15 to lead four Wildcats in double figures in UNH's 74-47 win at Sacred Heart on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Fogarty added eight rebounds and Healy had seven assists. Senior Carlie Pogue contributed 14 points and senior Brittni Lai had 10.
The Wildcats improved to 8-4 on the season. They play Cornell at home on Friday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. to close out the nonconference portion of their season.
Four Wildcats average in double figures in scoring, led by Pogue at 15.5 points per game and Healy at 12.2. Lai is at 11.1 per game and Fogarty at 11.0. Fogarty leads in rebounds at 6.5 a game, followed by Pogue at 5.8, Healy at 5.1 and Aliza Simpson at 4.2.
UNH opens America East play with a home game against UMBC on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 11 a.m. for Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day.
The Wildcats went 26-6 overall last season and were 15-1 in the America East Conference to grab their first outright regular season league title. They return a veteran group – led by Carlie Pogue,the reigning America East Player of the Year, and three other players who won league postseason honors.
The returning players combined to score 55.7 points of the 61.3 points UNH scored per game last year. Pogue averaged 16.6 points and 7.9 rebounds a game to lead the team in both categories and pull down the program's first Player of the Year honors in nearly three decades.
UNH was picked to finish sixth in last year's America East preseason coaches' poll. Coach Maureen Magarity's squad was picked to finish first in the preseason poll this year.
Pogue was also a first-team All-Conference pick last year. Fogarty averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds and was named second-team All-Conference. Brittni Lai and Olivia Healy both were named to the All-Conference third team. Lai averaged 11.1 points and 3.3 assists a game and Healy scored 8.7 points and pulled down 5.7 rebounds.
The 2016-17 Wildcats set a program record for wins (the previous mark was 23 in 1982-83) and with their regular season league title earned a spot in the WNIT.
SCOUTING CORNELL
The Big Red lost their last game at Drexel, 61-39, on Thursday, Dec. 21, to fall to 2-8 on the season. Drexel led 37-31 after three periods and outscored Cornell, 24-8, in the fourth. Senior forward Christine Ehland led Cornell against Drexel with 13 points and five rebounds. The Big Red were a season's-best 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from behind the three-point line.
Sophomore guard Samantha Widmann averages 15.3 points per game to lead Cornell and also pulls down 4.2 rebounds per game. Ehland averages 8.5 points and leads the team with 6.1 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard Danielle Jorgenson averages 4.3 assists per game. The Big Red scores 57.6 points a game and allows 629.
Cornell has split a pair of home games with America East opponents this season. The Big Red beat Stony Brook, 48-40, and lost to Binghamton, 66-58.
Dayna Smith, a 1996 graduate of the University of Rhode Island, is in her 16th season as Cornell's head coach. Cornell went 16-11 overall and was 7-7 in the Ivy League last season.
The Big Red beat UNH, 61-56, in the season opener for both teams in Ithaca last year. Carlie Pogue had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Brittni Lai had 17 points and five assists for UNH in the game.
GOOD SEATS ARE AVAILABLE: Individual and group tickets for UNH women's basketball games are available at www.unhwildcats.com, by calling 603-862-4000 or at the Whittemore Center box office.
LUCKY LUNDHOLM: The Wildcats are 4-0 at home in Lundholm Gymnasium this season. They were 14-2 in their Lundholm games last season.
THE COACH: Maureen Magarity is in her eighth season as head coach of the Wildcats. She directed the program to a 26-6 record and its first outright America East regular season championship in 2016-17. The team won as many as 20 games for only the third time in its history and first since the 1983-84 season. The program's previous record for wins was 23 in 1982-83.
One of last season's featured victories was a 50-44 decision over Maine in Lundholm Gymnasium on Jan. 19. That win was Magarity's 100th as head coach of the Wildcats. She owns a 119-104 overall record at UNH.
Magarity earned America East Coach of the Year honors last season. She was also a finalist for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award.
CARLIE'S CLIMBING: Carlie Pogue, the America East Player of the Year last season, has broken into the Top 10 on UNH's career scoring list. She is at No. 10 on the list with 1,275 career points. Candace Williams (2006-10) is at No. 9 with 1,277 and Danielle Clark (1,331) is at No. 8 with 1,331. Pogue is No. 12 on the rebounding list with 608. Orsi Farkas (1996-2000) is at No. 11 with 635 and Aubrey Danen (1998-03) is at No. 10 with 666.
SIMPSON ON THE MOVE: Aliza Simpson has moved into the Top 20 in a couple of career categories. She's tied for No. 16 in three-point field goals with Colleen Mullen (2001-03) with 78. Adriane Domanski is next on the list at No. 15 with 87 and Marcie Lane (1991-94) is at No. 14 with 95. Simpson is No. 16 in assists with 225. Steph Schubert (1994-98) is just ahead at No. 15 with 226 and Christine Gulas (1982-84) is No. 14 with 264.
EVERYONE INTO THE POLL: The Wildcats hold down the No. 18 spot in the latest www.collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 preseason poll.
GOOD MORNING: The Wagner and Dartmouth games had morning start times. They were two of four UNH games scheduled before noon this season. The Wildcats have home games against UMBC on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 11 a.m. and against Hartford on Feb. 14, also at 11 a.m. The UMBC game is Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day and admission is free for faculty and staff. The Hartford game is an Education Day contest.
THE CAPTAINS: Kat Fogarty, Brittni Lai, senior guard Peyton Booth (Wadsworth, Ohio) and junior guard Emily Peters (Lindstrom, Minn.) have been named captains for the 2017-18 Wildcats.
"All four are tremendous leaders and each brings something different to the group," Magarity said. "Kat and Peyton were our captains last year and obviously did a great job and were deserving again. All four of them stood out as leaders during the offseason and we're excited to have them as our captains."
TITLE TIME: Last year's America East regular season championship was UNH's first outright league title. The Wildcats shared the championship of what was then the Seaboard Conference with Northeastern in 1984-85. Both teams had 4-1 records in the league.
