GAME
NOTES (PDF)
SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
(1-1):
Last time out, the University of
New Hampshire women's basketball team fell to No. 21 Maryland,
63-43, Monday night at the Comcast Center ... Amy Simpson
(Waterford, Conn.) scored 11 points and tallied seven assists in
the contest ... The Terrapins set the tone early in the contest as
they started off the game with a 20-9 run ... The Wildcats
scratched their way right back into the action as they answered
Maryland's run with an 11-3 scoring stretch, cutting the home
team's lead down to just three points, with the score set at 23-20
at 4:21 ... Maryland closed out the half with a 26-20 advantage ...
Maryland took control in the second stanza, leading by as many as
22 points and finishing out the night with a 7-2 run to secure the
win ... Lauren Wells (West Chester, Pa.) finished with nine points,
three assists and two boards ... Diamon Beckford (Philadelpia, Pa.)
notched seven points, seven rebounds and one block ... In UNH's
previous outing, the Wildcats defeated St. Joseph's University
64-56 on Nov. 13 at Lundholm Gymnasium ... Denise Beliveau
(Framingham, Mass.) scored 21 points, one shy of her career high,
and tallied nine boards and two steals in the win ... The forward
was named America East Player of the Game for her impressive
performance in the contest ... For the Wildcats, the win is their
first against an Atlantic-10 team since Dec. 4, 2005, when they
defeated Massachusetts 59-43 at Lundholm Gymnasium ... Candace
Williams (Norfolk, Mass.) finished off the night with 15 points and
five rebounds ... Lauren Wells (West Chester, Pa.) tallied 12
points and one block ... Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn.) chipped in
with two points, six boards and five assists.
SCOUTING UMASS (1-1):
Last time out, Massachusetts fell
to St. John's 82-52 on Wednesday evening at the Mullins Center ...
Kristina Danella led the way for the Minutewomen as she poured in
16 points and pulled down a team-best seven rebounds ... Jasmine
Watson chipped in with 14 points, while Cerie Mosgrove and Diatiema
Hill added eight and six points, respectively ... UMass would start
out the action with an early 7-4 lead, but St. John's would fire
back with a 9-0 run, holding onto the lead for the rest of the
contest ... The Red Storm posted a 40-23 lead at the half ... The
second stanza would be more of the same between both teams as the
Minutewomen couldn't cut down the lead, drawing no closer than 13
points to the Red Storm ... St. John's shot 35-for-78 (48%) from
the field, while UMass was 18-for-50 (36%) ... On the young season,
Danella leads UMass with 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game ...
Hill has also added solid production to the lineup with 10.0
points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS:
So far this season the Wildcats
have been playing stellar defense against some impressive company.
They have held opponents to a .277 shooting percentage from the
floor this year, while shooting an impressive .339 clip themselves.
The fresh start comes against an A-10 (St. Joseph's) and an ACC
(Maryland) opponent, following a season in which opponents shot
.404 from the field against the ‘Cats. In Monday's matchup
against No. 21 Maryland, the ‘Cats pestered the Terps into
shooting .278 from the field, holding their offense to just 63
points, which was Maryland's second lowest point total in the last
29 games dating back to last season. The only team to hold the
Terps to an even lower point total was Louisville, who defeated
Maryland 77-60 in the NCAA Elite Eight on March 30, 2009. Against
St. Joe's, the ‘Cats were just as impressive, holding the
Hawks to just .277 shooting and a total of 56 points.
DIAMON IN THE ROUGH:
Diamon Beckford (Philadelphia, Pa.)
tallied seven points and seven boards and one block against No. 21
Maryland on Monday night. The freshman helped the Wildcats respond
to a 20-9 Terrapin run that started the game, as she knocked down a
jumper at 7:44 to set off an 11-3 scoring stretch, which cut the
home team's lead down to just three points, with the score set at
23-20 at 4:21. Including the jumper, she totaled five points on the
run. This season Beckford has posted 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds
per game.
EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK:
Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn.)
tallied a season-high seven assists against No. 21 Maryland on
Monday night. For the 2-guard turned point guard, Simpson has
stepped up in her new role, notching 12 assists through the first
two games this season. However, setting up her teammates is nothing
new for multi-tooled guard, as she has has averaged 6.0 assists per
game in her last five games dating back to last year. In that span
she set a career-high in assists with 11 against Binghamton on
March 4, 2009. Simpson has been stellar across the board for the
'Cats this year, averaging 6.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal
per game.
CONSISTENT 'CAT:
Candace Williams (Norfolk, Mass.)
poured in 15 points in UNH's 64-56 win over St. Joseph's University
on Nov. 13 at Lundholm Gymnasium. For the senior, it was her
seventh straight game dating back to last year in which she has
scored in double figures. In that span she has tallied 22 points on
two occasions, the latest coming in a 66-62 win over Albany at the
SEFCU Arena on Feb. 28, 2009. Her other 22-point outburst came
against defending conference champion Vermont on Feb. 22, 2009.
PICTURE PERFECT:
In addition to her 21 points and
nine rebounds in UNH's 64-56 win over St. Joseph's University on
Nov. 13, Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.) tied her career high
in free throws made, knocking down 10-of-10 shots from the charity
stripe. Included in that total are four tallies which came in the
last two minutes of play to seal the victory for the 'Cats. It was
the first time a Wildcat shot 100 percent from the foul line since
Danielle Clark (12-12) did so on Nov. 26, 2006 against Iona. The
last time Beliveau knocked down 10 free throws in a game came
against Northeastern on Dec. 15, 2007. She finished that night with
22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
TRIPLE TROUBLE:
In Friday's win over St. Joseph's,
Denise Beliveau (21), Candace Williams (15) and Lauren Wells (12)
became the first trio of 'Cats to score in double figures since
Feb. 28, 2009. In that contest, Williams netted 17 points, Wells
tallied 11 points and Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn.) notched 10
points against the Albany Great Danes at Lundholm Gymnasium.
WILDCATS PICKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON POLL:
The University
of New Hampshire women's basketball team received 38 points to
place fourth in the America East preseason poll that was released
this afternoon by the conference.
The Wildcats finished last season in fifth
place in the conference with an 8-23 record, including a 6-10 mark
against America East opponents, after being picked seventh in last
year's preseason poll. New Hampshire's 38-point total tied with
Boston University, who is coming off an undefeated conference
regular season and its first appearance in the postseason WNIT.
UMBC finished followed closely behind UNH and BU, with 35 points in
the sixth place spot.
Vermont, last year's conference champion, is
predicted to once again capture the title, receiving five first
place votes and tallying 61 points. Hartford is selected to finish
second with 60 points, garnering four first place votes in the
poll. Binghamton is predicted to finish third, with 45 points.
Stony Brook University is slated to finish
seventh (23 points), while the University of Maine (13) and the
University at Albany (11 points) round out the final three spots in
the poll.
SEASON OF HIGH HOPES:
Entering her
third year at the helm of the University of New Hampshire women's
basketball program, head coach Kristin Cole begins the 2009-10
season with all the pieces aligned to make a run at the America
East competition. With the return of every player from last year's
team, as well as the addition of high impact newcomers, the
Wildcats look poised to become a true contender in the
conference.
The Wildcats will once again look to the
veteran leadership of senior forward Candace Williams (Norfolk,
Mass.) and senior guard Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn.) to lead the
team.
Williams is fresh off her best season in white
and blue becoming a staple in the Wildcat lineup starting every
game last season. She made the most of her time on the court
becoming one of just two players in the America East conference to
rank in the top three in both scoring (16.1) and rebounding (8.1).
Her efforts also led to her being selected to the America East
All-Conference Second Team, becoming only the tenth player in
program history to do so.
Simpson also started in all 31 games for the
Wildcats last season, averaging a career-high 11.5 points per game,
a total that ranked second on the team and 12th in the conference.
She also ranked second on the squad in assists and steals with 90
and 29, respectively. Simpson poises the greatest threat beyond the
arc as she drained the best single-season mark for 3-pointers made
in program history with 62 last year. Her most prolific performance
came against Colgate (12/5) when she nailed six 3-pointers to tie a
UNH single-game record.
Perhaps the biggest addition to this year's
squad is the return of Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.), who sat
out last season due to injury. In her first season in 2007-08, she
was the only freshman to play in 28 of 29 games, averaging 10
points and 6.2 rebounds per game, which topped the America East
freshmen class. In fact, her performance was so impressive that she
was named to the America East All-Rookie team and became the third
player in UNH history to win the Rookie of the Year award. However,
she didn't just stand out in scoring, as she also tallied the
second best totals in rebounds and assists with 174 and 55,
respectively.
Anchoring the ‘Cats in the middle is
senior Racheal Fowler (Glassboro, N.J.). Fowler, started in all 31
games last season, finishing with 5.9 points per game and 5.5
rebounds per game, leading the team in field goal percentage (.513;
79-154).
Fellow senior Chrissy Hall (Northbridge, Mass.)
will also be called upon as she looks to build on a relatively
productive 2008-09 season in which she played in all 31 games and
started in 13. Her defensive prowess became truly evident last
season as she ranked second on the team in blocks with 22, while
also adding 22 steals. In addition, she averaged 3.6 points per
game and 3.2 rebounds per game.
The Wildcats fill out the frontcourt with a
plethora of experience and talent that is sure to provide solid
depth and production throughout the 2009-10 campaign. Juniors Jill
McDonald (Middlebury, Vt.), Kate Early (Corning, N.Y.) and
sophomore Kelley Flynn (Hopinkton, N.H.), provide a solid veteran
presence and are sure to make an immediate impact this season.
McDonald should prove to be a solid piece to
the puzzle this season as she provides size and a solid defensive
presence in the middle. After playing in all 31 games, including
one start, McDonald emerged as a defensive stopper for the
‘Cats as she racked up a team-high 47 blocks. Her average of
1.5 blocks per game not only was a team high but ranked fourth in
America East. She also notched 3.5 points per game and 3.3 rebounds
per game.
Early played in all 31 games, including 14
starts for the ‘Cats last season. She ranked second on the
team in field goal percentage (.493; 34-69), giving New Hampshire a
solid overall lift with an average of 2.7 points per game. More
importantly, she collected the third most rebounds and steals on
the team with 130 and 23, respectively.
Rounding out the frontcourt for the Wildcats is
Flynn who joins the Wildcats after playing in 21 collegiate games
with the Richmond Spiders. Flynn is sure to make an impact with the
‘Cats under the basket as her 6-5 frame will give the
Wildcats a presence in the middle. The McDonald's All-American
nominee led Hopkinton High School to the State Semifinals and State
Championships. She ranked as a top-10 player in Varsity New England
Magazine for two straight years and was rated the 48th-best center
in the country by the All-Star Girls Report Recruiting Service.
The backcourt will feature a dynamic duo of
young talented point guards as returning starter Abigail LaRosa
(Hampton, N.H.) and Kelsey Hogan (Nashua, N.H.) should provide
stability within the rotation.
LaRosa played and started in all 31 games for
the Wildcats last season posting an average of 6.4 points per game,
while averaging a team best 3.0 assists per game and 3.2 rebounds
per game. The sophomore didn't fall short defensively either, as
she led the team in steals with 35 and chipped in with six
blocks.
As for Hogan, her season was cut short last
year due to injury, but in the limited time she saw the court she
provided a great offensive spark for the Wildcats. Starting in the
three games in which she played, Hogan averaged 8.0 points per game
along with 3.3 rebounds per game and 3.0 assists per game. The
freshman's best game came against Bryant (11/14) when she notched a
career-high 20 points and eight rebounds against the Bulldogs.
Sophomore Lauren Wells (West Chester, Pa.) adds
depth for the ‘Cats as she looks to build on a promising
freshman campaign. Playing in 29 games for New Hampshire last
season she posted 5.1 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Her potential was best exhibited when she poured in a season high
13 points to go along with two assists, a block and a steal against
Vermont (2/1).
Freshmen Diamon Beckford (Philadelphia, Pa.),
Jilliane Friel (Durham, N.H.), Jackie Lyons (Reading, Mass.) and
Cari Reed (Oswego, N.Y) will all compete for playing time.
Beckford, who played at Upper Darby High
School, became the fourth player in the school's history to surpass
the 1,000-point marker, in her junior year. In her senior season
she won league MVP and surpassed the 1,000 mark in career rebounds.
The three-time All-Delco first-team member was a third-team
All-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection her junior year, as
well.
Friel, who comes from a long line of New
Hampshire basketball tradition, is the daughter of the late Gerry
Friel, the winningest coach in the history of the UNH men's
basketball program. The three-time Foster's Daily Democrat
Basketball Dream Team member won the league Player of the Year
award and surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her senior season. As a
junior she led the Bobcats to the state quarterfinals and was named
a second-team all-state basketball selection. In 2006, she led the
Bobcats to an undefeated record (22-0) on their way to winning the
Class I state championship.
Lyons compiled over 1,000 points during her
career at Reading High School, including a total of 436 points
during her senior season. During that season she was named North
Section Player of the Year and helped lead the Rockets to a
Middlesex League Championship. In 2007, she was the conference's
leading scorer with an average of 18.1 points per game. During that
season she was selected to the Middlesex All-League team and named
the Woburn Times Chronicle Player of the Year.
Reed, who scored over 1,000 while playing at
Oswego High School, was a three-time selection to both the
All-League first-team and the All-CNY (Central New York) team. She
was selected as the conference Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009
and was also a member of the all-state ninth-team.
With a solid group of core players, increased
depth and a load of young talent, the Wildcats have set themselves
up not only for a successful campaign in 2009-10 but to become a
top talent in the America East for many years to
come.
