Junior Carlie Pogue became just the 15th player in UNH women’s basketball history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in her career Saturday when the Wildcats visited Hartford for an America East matchup.
Yet somehow, those accomplishments managed to almost take a back seat to something else the Wildcats were able to accomplish with the 62-57 victory. The win gave UNH its first ever outright regular-season league title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. It’s quite the turnaround for a team coming off a 12-18 record in 2015-16.
“I’m just so proud of them with everything this team has gone through over the last year or two,” said seventh-year Coach Maureen Magarity, who admitted to shedding a few tears in the locker room after the game. “But we still have a lot more to accomplish and a lot more basketball to play.”
“A lot more basketball to play” isn’t exactly a concept the Wildcats have had to grasp in recent years, finishing last season with the third worst record in conference play.
This season has already qualified as “special” in the eyes of many. And there’s still a chance to make even more history. An America East tournament championship, which would be the first ever for the Wildcats, would also provide the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history.
But Magarity said everyone’s going to try and enjoy this “first” for a few days at least.
“I think this year has been pretty special. We have been able to accomplish a lot of things. But to me, this has obviously been the highlight,” Magarity said. “I think it’ll still take a couple days to set in. We don’t play again until Thursday so it’s kind of nice. We can kind of let it set in and enjoy it.”
It’ll be just the fifth time since 2003 that the Wildcats (23-4) will finish the season with a winning record in America East play. The 23rd victory also tied a program record.
“When you can win the conference tournament, obviously that’s very special to go to the NCAAs but this is different. It’s a whole year really of hard work that’s been put in. In terms of the weeks and the months that have gone into this, it’s really special,” Magarity said.
The Wildcats got off to a sluggish start Saturday in Hartford, Conn., and trailed, 14-12, after one quarter. UNH stymied the Hawks (16-11) in the second quarter, though, using a 14-0 run to take a 31-25 lead going into the break. Despite being outscored 20-12 in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats were able to hold on, sinking a handful of free throws down the stretch that sealed their fourth victory in a row and 16th in the last 17 games.
Pogue entered the game needing 18 points to reach 1,000 and seven rebounds to hit 500. She finished the game with exactly 18 points, seven rebounds and reached the scoring milestone at the free throw line with 5:11 left in the game.
“Last year, when I would tell her, ‘hey, if you can be more consistent, you can be one of the best post players in this league,’ I think she thought I was just kind of blowing smoke, thinking I was just trying to pump her up and motivate her. But now she believes that and believes in herself a lot more this year. It’s just been really fun to watch.”
Saturday marked the 13th straight game that Pogue has scored in double figures and the ninth game in a row that she’s led her team in scoring. Kristen Anderson (12 points, five assists) and Kat Fogarty (12 points, eight rebounds) also provided a spark in the victory.
The Wildcats play two more regular-season games – against UMass-Lowell and at UMBC – before heading to Portland, Maine, for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the AEC tournament. If UNH survives, it’ll host the championship game March 10.
It would just be another “first” in a year full of historic achievements for the first-place Wildcats – which is certainly something Magarity and her team can get used to.
(Michelle Berthiaume can be reached at 369-3338, mberthiaume@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @MonitorMichelle.)