Storey, Torres Lead 4th Quarter Surge at UMass

Thursday, December 5

Amherst, Mass.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

2-6

UMass

5-3

New Hampshire

Massachusetts

Amanda Torres (Photo by Jack Bouchard)

Photo by: Jack Bouchard

12/5/2019 9:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Wildcats cut 19 point deficit down to just one point in the final quarter.

AMHERST, Mass. – Trailing 57-42 in the final quarter, the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team mounted a 26-9 run to trail by just one point with four seconds left. Led by senior Ashley Storey (Cumberland, Maine) and Amanda Torres (Hudson, N.H.), the Wildcats outscored the Minutewomen 30-18 in the final quarter, but couldn't get up the game-tying shot after a missed UMass free throw as UNH fell to UMass, 67-65 on Thursday evening.

NEXT UP:
New Hampshire wraps up the fall semester home schedule hosting Central Connecticut State on Sunday, December 8 at 1 P.M. in Lundholm Gymnasium. The game will be the team's AAU day and will feature a post-game autograph session. For tickets visit UNHWildcats.com/tickets or call (603)862-4000.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Storey led the way offensively for the Wildcats in the second half; she finished the game with 23 points on 9-19 shooting, 2-2 from behind the arc, and a team-high six rebounds. Storey also dished two assists, had three steals, and blocked two shots.
Torres finished in double figures with 12 points, going 6-7 from the free throw line; 11 of her 12 points came in the second half.
The freshman duo of Héléna Delaruelle (Enghien-les-Bains, France) and Lexi Greffen (Portsmouth, R.I.) each tallied eight points and three rebounds in the contest, giving the Wildcats a spark as they were down late in the game. Delaruelle tallied a career-high 11 assists in the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

UMass opened the game on an 8-0 run but it fizzled out on several missed shots and turnovers. The Wildcats were able to cut the lead in half with four minutes to go but Minutewomen re-took the lead with a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 19-9.
Both teams traded baskets in the second quarter but UMass maintained its lead, with the score 38-21 at halftime. Héléna Delaruelle and Ashley Storey led the way for UNH in the first, Delaruelle with four points, three assists, and a steal, and Storey with six points, two boards and two assists.
The Wildcats got a spark mid-way through the third quarter from junior Amanda Torres who used her speed to drive the lane for layups on two of three straight possessions, capping off an 8-0 run with an and-one finish.
Sophomore Mariah Gonzalez (Watkins Glen, N.Y.) turned that run into a 12-2 run getting to the free throw line and nailing both shots, cutting the lead back down to 11, and then got a tipped pass from Delaruelle and recovered to make the layup through the double-team to cut the lead to 44-35, back to single digits for the first time since the second quarter.
Ashley Storey began another 12-2 run in the fourth quarter with a big three-point basket; the Wildcats road the momentum of some made baskets and some UMass turnovers and cut the lead all the way down to 59-51 with three minutes to go in regulation.
After the Minutewomen got the ball back and forced UNH to foul, Ashley Storey hit another big three to cut the deficit to just four points with 40 seconds to go, 60-56, and after two made UMass free throws Lexi Greffen hit a quick three to cut the deficit to 62-59.
With the score 65-61 after a quick Storey two-pointer and two UMass free throws on the ensuing possession, UNH drew a foul on the inbound sending Amanda Torres to the line. She hit both to cut the lead back to two points. After a missed UMass free throw Torres then drove the lane to cut the lead to just one point., 66-65.
The ensuing possession saw a missed UMass free throw with only four seconds left on the clock and UNH couldn't get the tying shot off.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Several scoring droughts in the game came from turnovers on both sides; UMass had 22 turnovers in the contest, UNH had 20.
New Hampshire shot 5-12 from behind the arc for 41.7% three-point shooting.
UMass outscored UNH in the paint 32-26.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

Delaruelle's 11 assists was the first 10+ assist performance by a Wildcat since the 2017-18 season, when Brittni Lai '18 tallied 10 in a win at Bryant.
Storey leads the team with four 20-point performances this season, and has led the team in scoring in five contests this season.
UNH is 2-1 this season against teams with a winning record.

-- unh --