Wildcats Take Down Rhode Island, 81-71

Thursday, December 21

Kingston, R.I.

6 PM

University of New Hampshire

8-4,0-0America East

Rhode Island

5-7,0-0Atlantic 10

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

12/21/2023 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

KINGSTON, R.I. – Senior forward Clarence Daniels (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) recorded his fifth double double of the season as the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team took down Rhode Island 81-71 on Thursday evening from The Ryan Center in Kingston.

Daniels led the team in both points (27) and rebounds (10) and was 100% from the free throw line. Grad student forward Naim Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was 4-7 (.571) from beyond the arc, his best this season.

The Wildcats' record improves to 8-4 (0-0 AE) and URI'S falls to 5-7 (0-0 A10). 

Score: New Hampshire 81, Rhode Island 71
Records: UNH (8-4, 0-0 AE), URI (5-7, 0-0 A10) 
Location: Kingston, R.I. (The Ryan Center) 
Date: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023

UP NEXT:  
· The Wildcats travel to Iowa State on New Year's Eve with a 1 p.m. tipoff on ESPN+.

FIRST HALF:   
·       The Rams drained a free throw to open scoring. The Wildcats followed up with a 9-0 run taking a quick 9-1 lead less than three minutes in.
·       A 13-3 run for Rhode Island gave the Rams a 14-12 lead with 12:15 left.
·       Rhode Island took a six-point lead with 10:35 remaining, but threes from Miller and sophomore forward Trey Woodyard (London, Ohio) tied the game at 20-20.
·       The 'Cats ended the half on an 8-2 run, for a 38-34 lead going into halftime.

SECOND HALF:  
·       A successful and-one play from Miller gave UNH a 41-35 lead to begin the half. The Rams responded with two quick threes to tie the game 41-41.
·       Miller followed that up with two threes of his own to give the 'Cats a 47-43 lead with 16:11 left in the half.
·       Ten straight points from the Wildcats extended their lead to 63-50 with 9:07 to go. The Rams stayed in the game, shortening the UNH lead to seven in just over one minute.
·       UNH carried on, building their largest lead of the evening, 14 points, with 8:41 remaining in the half, eventually closing out the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:  
·       Grad student forward Jaxson Baker (Phoenix, Ariz.) collected nine rebounds for the Wildcats, five of which were offensive.
·       Junior guard Ahmad Robinson (West Orange, N.J.) scored 15 points for UNH this evening. Robinson has recorded 10 or more points for the Wildcats in every game this season.
·       The first half saw seven lead changes with the 'Cats leading much of the time, 13:30. Over the entirety of the game, UNH held the lead for 28:00 while URI led for 9:57.
·       Three Wildcats scored 10 or more points in the contest, Daniels (27), Miller (17) and Robinson (15).

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:  
·       Head Coach Nathan Davis has now led the Wildcats to their best start since 2016-2017 (8-4).
·       The last victory for the Wildcats over the Rams came on Dec. 6, 1983, when they won 81-72 in Lundholm Gym. The last nine meetings between the two programs had been wins for Rhode Island.
·       The Wildcats last win at URI came on Dec. 18, 1973, with a 48-46 victory. The Rams had also won 13 straight home games.
·       The last time the Wildcats defeated an Atlantic 10 opponent was when they beat Duquesne on Nov. 13, 2013, 84-81.
· With tonight's win, UNH handed Rhode Island their fifth straight loss.