DURHAM, N.H. – Saturday’s 73-56 win over Marist was just what New Hampshire needed in several ways. The Wildcats did it with their offense helping their defense, for one, as that’s been an area where they haven’t always played well. They also got a very balanced effort all the way around. It also came after a break for final exams, and one never knows what a team will be like in that first game after it. And there’s also something that jumped out at the eldest Wildcat.
“We never win games decisively like that,” said senior guard Alvin Abreu. “It feels good to get a win like that.”
In the second half, the Wildcats ran often. They ran on misses, they ran on turnovers, and then they consistently broke Marist’s press and turned it into 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 breaks for easy baskets. Before you knew it, the lead was in double digits and Marist had called two timeouts in short order.
Then it was the steady play of veterans like Chandler Rhoads and Abreu that carried the Wildcats home. Rhoads was in the middle of the action most of the game and filled the stat sheet, while Abreu had a very good game without settling for three-point shots for a lot of his offense. Abreu had a game-high 18 points with just one attempt from behind the arc. What might have epitomized the second half was a quick three-pointer off an inbounds pass by Marist’s Devin Price, which Rhoads rebounded after it was no good and quickly got ahead to Abreu for an easy layup. That put them up 66-41 at the time.
The game didn’t start out so well, as Marist went up 12-2 in the early going. The Wildcats then got a boost from the bench, as Ferg Myrick and Garrett Jones led the charge back into the game. Myrick made two plays right in a row for baskets, one of which was a hustle play, while Jones had a couple of assists and brought a lot of energy off the bench.
The Wildcats really got the job done at the defensive end, as they often have of late. They held Marist below 33 percent from the field and forced 16 turnovers. Proof of how they ran the Red Foxes off the floor was a 16-0 edge in fast break points. Offensively, they made over 46 percent of their shots, and less than a quarter of the attempts were from behind the arc, also a big plus as they have tended to settle for three-pointers instead of take such shots in flow.
One reason this year’s UNH team has the potential it does is that they have more weapons at the offensive end than they have had in Bill Herrion’s tenure as head coach. That’s also the reason why how they have run the offense has been the biggest variable with this team’s play thus far. Herrion is happy with the defense, but offensively they have had a tendency to not show much discipline and settle for jumpers. This team has enough athleticism that they shouldn’t have to do that, and the coaching staff is emphasizing getting points from the defense.
“That’s how we’ve got to play,” said Herrion. “We don’t have a legitimate five man inside that we can throw it in and score.”
The Wildcats do have Brian Benson inside, but he’s mainly a rebounder and has never been a big scoring threat inside. He had 14 rebounds on Saturday to help lead the defensive effort, and averages 10 per game on the season but less than nine points per game. Chris Matagrano isn’t a big post scoring threat, although he has improved to at least be a serviceable backup.
But on the whole, Herrion’s point is that this team is a new look in terms of what they have for offensive talent. And it’s a big reason why this team might have a chance to break through this season.
“I think the problem that we’ve had is that our offense has never been as good as our defense,” Herrion reflected.
Another bright spot on Saturday was that the good outing from Myrick. There’s no doubting the talent the junior wing has, but he has struggled for a lot of this season and his tendency to be a black hole on offense doesn’t help. But if he plays like he did on Saturday, there’s no question this is a better team and they would have one more scoring threat at the offensive end.
“He’s still not in great shape,” said Herrion, noting that Myrick hasn’t made it all the way back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered last year. “His wind and his conditioning has to get better.”
Offense will likely continue to be what will make or break this team. The Wildcats have an improved point guard in Jordon Bronner, a solid combo in Rhoads, the seasoned veteran in Alvin Abreu and a versatile forward in Patrick Konan who is shaking off the rust more all the time. Benson isn’t lacking offensive ability despite never being a big scorer, and perhaps they don’t need more than a few points a game out of him.
“I think the challenge that we’re going to have is, can we continue to score?” said Herrion. “That’s been our Achilles heel, consistent offense, putting enough points on the board. That’s why we’re really trying to emphasize getting it off of our defense.”
New Hampshire heads to Providence on Tuesday night to play a Friars team that has had a good start to the season. Given what the two teams have shown thus far, it might be quite a defensive battle. If the Wildcats can somehow pull it out, it might spring them forward in a big way not only because it’s a Big East team, but also because it would mean consecutive victories for the first time this season.
