University of New Hampshire Athletics
UNH Women’s Basketball Adds Two Transfers to Roster
6/14/2024 10:17:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Lusher and DeChent are the newest Wildcats
DURHAM, N.H. – Sydney Lusher (Oneida, N.Y.) and Eva DeChent (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) have officially joined the University of New Hampshire women's basketball program as announced by first-year head coach Megan Shoniker on Friday.
Lusher is a 5-foot-11 guard who was named to the Northeast Conference All-Conference Third Team and the NEC Women's Basketball co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year at LeMoyne College this past season, which was the Dolphins' first as a Division I program.
In 32 starts, she averaged 9.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 30.8 minutes per game to lead LeMoyne to the NEC championship game and the first round of the WNIT, where she recorded career highs of 22 points and seven rebounds.
Lusher recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA this past year in LeMoyne's Master in Education program.
As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Lusher was named the Northeast 10 Rookie of the Year was named the conference Rookie of the Week three times. She started all 28 games in which she played with averages of 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, team-best 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in a team-high 35.5 minutes per game. Those numbers ranked fourth in the NE10 in both minutes and assist-to-turnover ratio as well as sixth in both assists and steals.
Injury forced Lusher to redshirt the 2022 season.
"Getting to know Syd throughout the recruiting process, she was a 'must have' for our team and how we are trying to build our program," Shoniker said. "She embodies what it means to be a UNH Wildcat – she excels in the classroom, she competes on the court, and her character is second to none. She is also a gym rat – which I love! Syd is an absolute stat stuffer and is willing to do whatever it takes to help her team win games. I am so happy Syd decided to join our family and can not wait to get on the floor with her."
DeChent, a 5-11 guard, is coming to UNH from the University of Rhode Island, where Shoniker was an assistant coach last year. In her 2024 freshman season, DeChent played in 23 games with averages of 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game.
DeChent is Putnam Valley High School's all-time leading scorer with 2,267 career points and she was a two-time New York State Class B Player of the Year. As a senior, she averaged 30.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.7 steals and 5.1 assists per game. One year earlier, DeChent's statistics included 23.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 6.1 steals per game.
"Eva is a versatile and skilled guard who can impact the game in a multitude of ways," Shoniker said. "She is a three-level scoring guard who can fill it up, but one of my favorite parts of her game is her court vision and her willingness to make the right play for her team. I have known Eva and her family for several years and we are adding an overall great human being to our program. I am excited to see what Eva can do throughout her career as a Wildcat and could not be happier she decided to join us!"
Shoniker was named the eighth head coach in the history of the UNH women's basketball program on April 24.
Lusher is a 5-foot-11 guard who was named to the Northeast Conference All-Conference Third Team and the NEC Women's Basketball co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year at LeMoyne College this past season, which was the Dolphins' first as a Division I program.
In 32 starts, she averaged 9.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 30.8 minutes per game to lead LeMoyne to the NEC championship game and the first round of the WNIT, where she recorded career highs of 22 points and seven rebounds.
Lusher recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA this past year in LeMoyne's Master in Education program.
As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Lusher was named the Northeast 10 Rookie of the Year was named the conference Rookie of the Week three times. She started all 28 games in which she played with averages of 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, team-best 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in a team-high 35.5 minutes per game. Those numbers ranked fourth in the NE10 in both minutes and assist-to-turnover ratio as well as sixth in both assists and steals.
Injury forced Lusher to redshirt the 2022 season.
"Getting to know Syd throughout the recruiting process, she was a 'must have' for our team and how we are trying to build our program," Shoniker said. "She embodies what it means to be a UNH Wildcat – she excels in the classroom, she competes on the court, and her character is second to none. She is also a gym rat – which I love! Syd is an absolute stat stuffer and is willing to do whatever it takes to help her team win games. I am so happy Syd decided to join our family and can not wait to get on the floor with her."
DeChent, a 5-11 guard, is coming to UNH from the University of Rhode Island, where Shoniker was an assistant coach last year. In her 2024 freshman season, DeChent played in 23 games with averages of 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game.
DeChent is Putnam Valley High School's all-time leading scorer with 2,267 career points and she was a two-time New York State Class B Player of the Year. As a senior, she averaged 30.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.7 steals and 5.1 assists per game. One year earlier, DeChent's statistics included 23.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 6.1 steals per game.
"Eva is a versatile and skilled guard who can impact the game in a multitude of ways," Shoniker said. "She is a three-level scoring guard who can fill it up, but one of my favorite parts of her game is her court vision and her willingness to make the right play for her team. I have known Eva and her family for several years and we are adding an overall great human being to our program. I am excited to see what Eva can do throughout her career as a Wildcat and could not be happier she decided to join us!"
Shoniker was named the eighth head coach in the history of the UNH women's basketball program on April 24.
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