Ogwuche Nets Career-High 19 Points in 69-68 Loss at Maine

Wednesday, January 24

Orono, ME

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

8-13, 4-3AE

University of Maine

5-17, 2-5AE

New Hampshire

Maine

Photo by: Joey Walker

1/24/2018 9:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BANGOR, Maine – John Ogwuche (Makurdi, Nigeria) scored a career-high 19 points but the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team was edged by the University of Maine, 69-68, at Cross Insurance Center on Wednesday night.

Ogwuche made 6 of 11 field goals, including 3 of 7 3-pointers, and was 4-for-5 from the foul line; he netted 14 points in the second half. Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) scored 18 points and pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Darryl Stewart (Atlanta, Ga.), whose last-second 3-point shot went off the back of the rim, finished with six assists, five rebounds and four points.

Maine was led by Aaron Calixte, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 21.3 seconds remaining. He recorded 24 points (9-20 FGs, 3-9 3's), four rebounds and three assists.

UNH, which had won six straight vs. the Black Bears, is now 8-13 overall and 4-3 in America East. Maine is now 5-17, 2-5.

LOOKING AHEAD

New Hampshire returns to action Jan. 27 (4 p.m.) at Binghamton University. UNH prevailed 71-67 vs. the Bearcats on Jan. 10 at Lundholm Gym.
UNH's next home game is Jan. 31 (7 p.m.) against the University of Hartford.
Tickets for all home games are available online at www.unhwildcats.com or by calling (603) 862-4000.

DOWN THE STRETCH

With the score tied at 62 coming out of the last media timeout, Andrew Fleming (15 points) made two free throws to give Maine a two-point lead at 3:41.
Fleming's putback dunk extended the advantage to 66-62 at 2:45.
Jacoby Armstrong (Dallas, Texas) pulled down an offensive rebound and went back up for the layup to pull the Wildcats within 66-64 at 2:14. UNH made a defensive stop, and then Stewart drove the lane and through the ball off the glass and in to tie the score with 1:31 remaining.
Armstrong then blocked Calixte's layup out of bounds with one second on the shot clock. He knocked away the inbounds pass, forcing Maine into a shot clock violation.
At the other end of the court, Armstrong backed in his defender on the right blocks and kissed a close-range shot off the backboard to give New Hampshire a 68-66 lead with 42.1 seconds to play.
Following a Black Bears' timeout, Calixte connected on a 3-pointer from the top left side with 21.3 seconds on the clock to give the home team a 69-68 lead.
UNH advanced the ball to the frontcourt and called its full timeout with 15.0 to go. Stewart dribbled from the top of the key to the right, took a step back and fired long on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

GAME RECAP

Maine jumped out to a 6-1 lead two minutes into the game, but Leissner and Oguwche hit consecutive 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 7-6 lead at 17:01.
The Black Bears responded with another six-point run to surge back in front, 12-7.
UNH answered with an 8-0 run to retake the lead, 15-12. Leissner ignited the run with back-to-back left baseline jumpers. Josh Hopkins (Greensboro, N.C.) an Armstrong followed with field goals to complete the run at 13:32.
Maine's third 6-0 spurt of the game put the home game back ahead, 18-15, at 10:57.
The Black Bears extended a two-point lead to the largest of the half – eight points – on an 8-2 run that made the score 29-21 heading into the third media timeout at 6:12.
Hopkins buried a 3-pointer from the left wing and Stewart hit a pull-up jumper on the right wing to quickly trim the deficit to 29-26 at 4:37.
With the 'Cats trailing 31-26, Leissner and Jordan Reed (Lucas, Texas) hit consecutive 3-pointers to give New Hampshire a 32-31 lead at 3:20.
Reed's 3-pointer from the right corner was followed by Leissner's up-and-under finish to give UNH a 37-34 advantage at 1:39.
Maine called a 30-second timeout and scored back-to-back baskets to regain the lead, 39-37.
Hopkins' second 3-pointer, this time from the left corner, was answered by a three-point play and Maine took a 42-40 lead into halftime.
The Black Bears opened the second-half scoring, but UNH scored six straight, including a foul shot and 3-pointer by Ogwuche, to go back in front, 46-44, at 16:25.
Trailing 56-52, UNH went on a 7-3 run – capped by Leissner's basket down low – to tie the score, 59-59, at 7:33.
Maine went back ahead with a 3-pointer on their next possession, then neither team scored for three minutes until Ogwuche drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the score at 62 with 4:07 on the clock.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

UNH, which entered the game No. 9 in the nation in free throw percentage (77.8%), was 9 of 15 (60%) from the foul line. Maine made all 12 of its foul shots.
UNH entered the game No. 7 in the nation with a +8.8 rebounding margin, but the Black Bears recorded the 36-33 edge on the glass.
This was UNH's second one-point loss of the season; 70-69 vs. Boston U.

UNH NOTEBOOK

Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) had three rebounds to increase his school record total for career rebounds to 904. He is also No. 10 in career games played at 112.
Leissner now has 1,784 career points and is 77 away from tying the benchmark of 1,861 held by Al McClain (1980-84).
Leissner increased his UNH records for both free throws made (484) and attempted (627).
Leissner is now No. 4 in career minutes played with 3,732; he passed Tyrece Gibbs (2006-09) at 3,711.
Hopkins finished with 10 points, three rebounds, a steal and a block in 32 minutes off the bench.