'Cats Complete Two-Game Road Sweep at Stony Brook, 67-64

Sunday, January 17

Stony Brook, N.Y.

2 PM

University of New Hampshire

6-5,5-3America East

Stony Brook

6-6,4-2America East

New Hampshire

Stony Brook

Qon Murphy hit two game-tying 3-pointers and a go-ahead triple to erase UNH's last deficit.

Photo by: Michelle Bronner

1/17/2021 5:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Lester, Murphy combine for 23 points, six 3-pointers in reserve roles

Nick Guadarrama paced the Wildcats with 14 points, including four straight made FTs in the final 13 seconds.

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Nick Guadarrama (Newington, Conn.) scored 12 of his team-leading 14 points after halftime while Chris Lester (Barrington, Ill.) and Qon Murphy (Charlotte, N.C.) provided clutch 3-point scoring off the bench to lead the UNH men's basketball team to Sunday afternoon's 67-64 America East victory against Stony Brook at Island Federal Arena.

UNH (6-5, 5-3 America East) completed the two-game sweep on Long Island against the previously conference-leading Stony Brook team (6-6, 4-2 AE) that brought a five-game winning streak into the series.

In the second half, Guadarrama went 3-for-6 from the field and hit four straight free throws in the final 13 seconds to seal the victory.

Chris Lester hit all three of his 3-point attempts en route to 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

Lester went 3-for-3 behind the arc and 3 of 4 at the FT line for 12 points in 15 minutes of action. Murphy (4-for-8 FG) added 11 points, including nine in the second half courtesy of three critical 3s, two of which tied the game (49-49, 52-52) and one that gave UNH a 62-61 lead with 2:49 remaining. The Wildcats never trailed again in a back-and-forth game that featured 13 ties and seven lead changes.

Jayden Martinez (Cibolo, Texas) notched 12 points (4-for-10 FG, 3-for-4 FT) and nine rebounds, which matched Nick Johnson (Bronx, N.Y.) for game- and team-high honors. Johnson, who set a career high in rebounding, contributed six points, including a layup that broke the game's final tie (62-62), and three assists.

UNH won the battle on the glass with a 42-29 rebounding edge and a decisive 17-7 advantage in offensive boards.

The Wildcats received 26 points off the bench, with 23 of those coming from the Lester/Murphy duo.

Tykei Greene paced the Seawolves with 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. Frankie Policelli chipped in with 13 points, and Mouhamadou Gueye posted 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and five blocks.

Score: UNH 67, Stony Brook 64
Records: UNH (6-5, 5-3 AE) - Stony Brook (6-6, 4-2 AE)
Location: Stony Brook, N.Y. – Island Federal Arena
Date: Sunday, January 17, 2021
Box Score

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

Marque Maultsby (Raleigh, N.C.) hit his first two field goals, including a 3-pointer, to score the Wildcats' initial five points.
UNH capped a 5-0 run with Johnson's layup for its first lead, 7-5, with 15:57 left.
Johnson made it back-to-back buckets to push UNH back on top, 9-7.
After a pair of Guadarrama free throws upped the lead to 11-7 with 14:24 left, SBU responded with an 11-0 run over the next six-plus minutes for an 18-11 advantage.
The Wildcats started 1-for-11 from 3-point distance before Lester knocked down back-to-back triples and Blondeau Tchoukuiengo (Montreal, Quebec) drained his lone attempt to close the first-half scoring.
The Wildcats and Seawolves were knotted up 31-all at the intermission.
Maultsby led UNH with seven points (3-for-6 FG), with Lester adding six points.
UNH shot 37.5 percent (12 of 32) from the floor and 4-for-14 (29 percent) from 3.
SBU held its largest lead, 21-13, at the 7:57 mark.

Second Half

Guadarrama came out firing with six of UNH's first eight points -two field goals, two free throws- to give the 'Cats a 40-37 lead with 16:44 to play.
Lester followed with a stretch that included two made FTs, a steal, an offensive rebound and another foul shot to turn a 40-40 game into a 43-40 Wildcats' lead with 14:37 remaining.
With 7:33 left, Murphy stuck a right-corner 3 to tie the score, 49-49, and then he buried a straightaway triple to make it 52-52 with 6:17 left.
Lester's left-wing 3-pointer staked the Wildcats to a 59-57 lead at 4:39.
Murphy canned another huge 3 to put the Wildcats on top, 62-61, at the 2:49 mark.
After Greene went 1-for-2 at the line to tie the game at 62, Johnson scored the go-ahead-for-good layup for a 64-62 lead with 1:33 left.

LOOKING AHEAD

UNH returns to Lundholm Gym for a two-game series against UAlbany on Saturday, Jan. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 24. For more information, visit www.unhwildcats.com.