UNH Basketball Rolls Over Keene State in Season Opener
The University of New Hampshire men's basketball team posted a sizable victory in the first game of their 2020-21 season.
The Wildcats outscored Keene State, 51-23, in the second half to secure a 93-54 win at Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham.
Nick Guadarrama and Blondeau Tchoukuiengo each posted a game-high 18 points for the Wildcats in their win over the Owls, which play in the Division 3 Little East conference. UNH plays Division 1 basketball in the America East conference.
The Wildcats shot nearly 50% from the field, despite converting on less than 32% of their shots from behind the arc.
The Owls jumped out to an early 8-6 lead before the Wildats found their rhythm. The UNH lead ballooned to 44 at one point in the second half.
UNH also registered 12 steals in the game and got 39 points off the bench. More than half of the Wildcats' scoring came inside the paint.
Keene managed just 9 points off the bench and registered 19 turnovers in the loss. They scored just 2 points off second-change plays compared to the Wildcats' 15, a testament to UNH's domination inside the paint and along the boards.
Jayden Martinez chipped in with 14 points for the Wildcats and Nick Johnson added 12. Jeric Cichon led the Owls with 13 points, followed by Nate Siow with 12 and Jeff Hunter with 11.