Career-High 23 Points by Martinez Leads Wildcats Past Maine, 62-58

Sunday, January 3

Orono, Maine

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

4-3,3-1America East

Maine

1-4,1-3America East

New Hampshire

Maine

Jayden Martinez scored a career-high 23 points today in the win at Maine.

Photo by: Tyler Neville / UMaine Athletics

Career-High 23 Points by Martinez Leads Wildcats Past Maine, 62-58

1/3/2021 5:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Qon Murphy tallied a season-high 11 points.

ORONO, Maine – Junior forward Jayden Martinez (Cibolo, Texas) led the Wildcats with a career-high 23 points as the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team defeated Maine, 62-58, Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gym. With the win, the Wildcats improve to 4-3 overall (3-1 America East), while the Black Bears fall to 1-4 overall (1-3 America East).

Junior guard Qon Murphy (Charlotte, N.C.) tallied a season-high 11 points. UNH made a season-best 20 free throws and went to the line a season-high 28 times. The Wildcats' nine turnovers were a season low.

UNH grabbed 30 rebounds and shot 41.7 percent from the field, while the Black Bears posted 33 rebounds and shot 43.8 percent. UNH outscored Maine, 32-22 in the paint.

Maine was led by Ja'Shonté Wright-McLeish who scored 12 points.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats return to action on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 9-10, when they take on UMBC at Lundholm Gymnasium at noon.

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Score: New Hampshire 62, Maine 58
Records: UNH (4-3, 3-1 AE), Maine (1-4, 1-3 AE)
Location: Orono, Maine (Memorial Gym)
Date: Sunday, January 3, 2021
BOXSCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED:

First Half:

Junior center Tayler Mattos (New London, N.H.) posted the first two points of the game on a jumper to give UNH an early 2-0 lead.
With Maine leading 13-7, the Wildcats went on a 5-0 run on a 3-pointer by Martinez and two made free throws by Murphy to cut the deficit to 13-12 with 11:41 left in the first half.
Martinez broke a 21-21 tie on a jump shot to give UNH the lead 23-21 advantage with 5:40 on the clock.
The Wildcats took a 30-29 lead to the half as Martinez scored the last nine points of the half for UNH.

Jayden Martinez scored the last nine points of the first half for the Wildcats (Photo by Tyler Neville)

Second Half:

Martinez opened the half with a dunk off a pass by redshirt freshman guard Blondeau Tchoukuiengo (Montreal, Quebec) to extend the lead to 32-29.
The Wildcats would increase their lead to 60-46 by outscoring the Black Bears, 28-17.
But with 4:09 remaining in the second half, Maine started a 12-0 run which was capped off by a 3-pointer by Wright-McLeish to cut the UNH lead to 60-58 with just 17 seconds left.
But a made free throw by Martinez with 13 seconds remaining and one by junior guard Marque Maultsby (Raleigh, N.C.) with one second on the clock gave the Wildcats the 62-58 win.