O'Connor leads three Wildcats in double-figures with game-high 19 points

Paquette notched her second double-figure scoring outing of the season with a team-high 11 points tonight (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

EASTON, Mass. (December 6, 2023) – The University of New Hampshire connected on 63-percent of its shots in the second half to pull away from Stonehill College and collect a 68-41 victory in a non-conference women's basketball matchup on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Sophomore Avery O'Connor came off the bench and scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead three from New Hampshire in double-figures. She made 7-of-11 shots from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers, adding four rebounds, while senior Adara Groman made 7-of-8 shots for 15 points and five rebounds. Junior Clara Gomez rounded out the Wildcats in double-figures with ten points on 5-of-6 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Freshman Brooke Paquette was the lone Stonehill player in double-figures with 11 points, including all six Skyhawk points on back-to-back three-pointers in the third quarter, connecting on 3-of-4 three-pointers, with three rebounds, an assist and steal. Junior Sharn Hayward hit 3-of-7 threes for nine points and three assists, while postgrad Anna Boruta chipped all nine of her points in the first half, with two assists and two steals. Junior Maureen Stapleton pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and blocked two shots for the Skyhawks.

New Hampshire emerged from a first half that included seven ties and 11 lead changes with a one-point lead after Stonehill was in front for over ten minutes of the opening 20. The Skyhawks grabbed a three-point lead (26-23) after a three-pointer from Hayward with 2:25 to go in the second quarter. The Wildcats answered with the final four points of the half to take the halftime lead (27-26) on a three-pointer at the buzzer by sophomore Breezie Williams.

Hayward chipped in nine points with three three-pointers and three assists (PHOTO BY Brian Foley)

UNH scored the first ten points of the second half to extend its run to 14-0 and grab a double-digit lead (37-26) with a fastbreak layup from Gomez just 2:11 into the third quarter. She had six of the Wildcats first ten points in the half, while Groman had the other four to lead the breakout. Back-to-back three-pointers by Paquette snapped the UNH run and pulled Stonehill back within five (37-32) with six minutes to play in the third, but that would prove to be the Skyhawks only six points of the third as the hosts would go scoreless for the next seven minutes.

UNH broke the game open from there, scoring the final 13 points of the third, including nine by O'Connor, to take an 18-point cushion (50-32) into the final quarter. Sophomore Paige Martin made one of two free-throws to break the Stonehill drought, and Hayward buried a three, but the Wildcats extended their run to 27-4 to build a 28-point lead (64-36) halfway through the fourth.      

Noteworthy

• Paquette scored in double-figures for the second time in her first collegiate season.
• Stapleton, the NEC's rebounding leader, was the Skyhawks leading rebounder for the eighth time in nine games this season.
• Outside of Stonehill's top three scorers, the remaining team shot a combined 2-for-29, and the team was just 3-for-26 from the floor in the second half (3-for-11 threes), compared to 63.3% (19-for-30) for UNH.
• New Hampshire outscored Stonehill 46-4 in the paint.

Up Next
Stonehill (0-9, 0-0 NEC) is off until next Tuesday, December 12, when it visits Boston College at 11 a.m. The Skyhawks next home game is Saturday, December 30, when they host Fairfield University to close out their non-conference slate at 2 p.m. UNH (5-5, 0-0 America East) carries a three-game win streak into Saturday's home matchup with Brown University at noon.

Tickets for Stonehill basketball games can be purchased in advance online at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets, with single game and season ticket packages available.

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