America East foes will lock horns when the Hartford Hawks (8-20) challenge the New Hampshire Wildcats (16-10) at Chase Family Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Hawks enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling UMBC 88-65 on Wednesday. George Blagojevic was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 6-for-9 shooting. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-69 win against Massachusetts-Lowell on Wednesday. Tanner Leissner claimed his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Cleveland Thomas has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Hawks. During that stretch, he has averaged 25.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.8 three-pointers. Leissner has upped his play for the Wildcats. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 three-pointer.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Hawks in this one. They rank 349th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of just 18.7%), while New Hampshire is third-best in the nation on the defensive glass (DR% of 77.5%).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Wildcats winning the first matchup 84-71. Despite the loss, Thomas had a standout performance with 38 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block, and four three-pointers.
Notes
Hartford won its last game by a 23-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, New Hampshire is 3-4. Hartford is 2-7 in blowouts this season.
The New Hampshire Wildcats average a field goal percentage of 42.9% this season. The Hartford Hawks have an underachieving record of 4-18 when opponents have a FG% of 42.9% or greater.
The Hartford Hawks rank lower for their field goal percentage (311th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (222nd), but the New Hampshire Wildcats have a better FG% ranking (238th) than eFG% ranking (254th).
New Hampshire, the 56th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.0 rebounds per game. Hartford does worse, ranked 348th with 29.8.
On average, Hartford makes 7.3 steals per game. New Hampshire has a winning 8-3 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
