‘Cats Secure Home Court for AE Quarterfinals with Senior Night Victory

Tuesday, February 28

Durham, N.H.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

14-14,9-7America East

NJIT

7-22,4-12America East

NJIT

New Hampshire

‘Cats Secure Home Court for AE Quarterfinals with Senior Night Victory

2/28/2023 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

UNH Hosts Bryant in the First Round of America East Playoffs on Saturday at 1 p.m.

DURHAM, N.H. – Captains Matt Herasme (Chester, N.Y.) and Nick Johnson (Bronx, N.Y.) led the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team to a 59-58 victory against NJIT Tuesday night at Lundholm Gymnasium as the 'Cats celebrated senior night to close out the regular season.

With the win, UNH improves to 14-14 (9-7 AE) and NJIT falls to 7-22 (4-12 AE).

Final Stats NJIT

FIRST HALF

NJIT started off with a 6-point lead before Johnson sunk a three-pointer to put the 'Cats first points on the scoreboard.
A three-pointer by junior Clarence Daniels (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) tied the game 8-8, with 13:36 left in the half.
The Wildcats went scoreless over a 7-minute stretch while the Highlanders went on a 12-0 run to take a 20-8 lead.
Freshman Christian Moore (Virginia Beach, Va.) hit a jumper with 6:42 remaining to halt the run and cut the deficit to 10.
Herasme notched a pair of free-throws as the 'Cats still trailed the Highlanders by 10, 22-12.
A three-pointer from Herasme and a putback layup from Johnson kept the 'Cats within single digits, 16-24 with 2:14 on the clock.
Graduate student Jaxson Baker (Phoenix, Ariz.) drained a three-pointer with 34 seconds remaining in the half to trim the NJIT lead down to five points.
A last-second layup from the Highlanders sent the teams into the halftime locker rooms with NJIT leading 28-21.
Johnson paced UNH with 8 points and Daniels led the way on the glass with 9 rebounds. Kevin Osawe netted 12 points to lead the Highlanders.

SECOND HALF

Daniels started off the second half by netting a pair of free throws to close the gap back down to five points.
Herasme converted on a three-point play as he got fouled on a layup and secured the free throw, putting the 'Cats within one.
Moore gave the 'Cats their first lead of the game with a shot from behind the arc making it 35-32.
NJIT answered with a three-pointer from Adam Hess to keep the score knotted at 35 apiece.
Freshman Ridvan Tutic (Novi Pazar, Serbia) put the 'Cats back in front, sinking a layup and free-throw.
Herasme and Johnson scored two quick buckets, extending the Wildcat lead to 44-37, UNH's largest lead of the game.
NJIT responded again by sinking a three-pointer, making it 44-40.
Herasme and Baker hit back-to-back three-pointers with 6:16 left in the second half.
Over the next four minutes, both teams exchanged buckets until the Highlanders were able to go on a 7-0 run to take a one-point lead with 1:19 remaining in the game.
Junior Kyree Brown (Oakland, Calif.) netted a layup with 28 seconds left to put the 'Cats back on top 59-58.
Daniels came up with a huge block at the buzzer to secure the win, 59-58.
UNH outscored NJIT 38-30 in the second half and shot 50% from the field in the closing frame.

NOTEWORTHY

This is the first game this season that the 'Cats have won when trailing at the half. They were previously 0-10.
The 'Cats also won their first game this season when scoring under 60 points, improving to 1-9 on the year.
The Wildcats improved to 10-4 at Lundholm Gymnasium this year.
UNH trails the all-time series with NJIT holding a 3-4 record. The 'Cats have won the last three meetings after falling in the first four contests.
The Wildcats are now 3-2 all-time when hosting the Highlanders at Lundholm Gymnasium.
This was the second win of the year for UNH when they are outrebounded, holding a 2-11 record on the year.
Herasme led UNH with 15 points on an efficient 5 of 10 shooting from the field.
Johnson and Daniels each played the full 40 minutes, with Daniels recording eight points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
Johnson scored 14 points and corralled five rebounds for the Wildcats.
NJIT was led by Kevin Osawe who recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
With the win, the 'Cats move into third place in the America East, clinching a home playoff game in the Jersey Mike's America East quarterfinals.

NEXT UP

The #3 seed Wildcats host the Jersey Mike's America East Quarterfinals at Lundholm Gym on Saturday, Mar. 4 at 1 p.m. when they take on #6 seed Bryant University.

University of New Hampshire men's basketball tickets are on sale now. Affordable options that start as low as $10 can now be purchased for the 2022-23 Wildcats' basketball season at Lundholm Gymnasium. Single-game tickets are $10 per ticket. Discounted prices are available for military, youth, seniors, and UNH faculty/staff starting at $8. Group tickets start as low as $5 for 20-99 fans and $3 for a group of 100+. Season tickets per team start at $75 to catch all UNH hoops action at Lundholm Gymnasium and save 42% off individual game ticket prices.

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