UMBC

Baltimore, Md.—Senior guard Chris Pugh’s three-point field goal with 2.2 seconds remaining gave host UMBC a 45-44 victory over New Hampshire in an America East Conference contest played before 1,122 fans at RAC Arena.

UMBC won its second straight home game after four setbacks, while UNH had their three-game winning streak halted. The win for the Retrievers was the first in four tries at the RAC vs. the Wildcats. Pugh was UMBC’s America East Player of the Game, while UNH senior forward Blagoj Janev scored a game-high 17 points and earned the honor for the Wildcats.

Both teams are now 8-13 overall and 4-4 in America East play.

UNH’s Radar Onguetou hit a pair of free throws to snap a 42-all tie with 3:57, the final points before Pugh’s game-winner. After a series of near-misses to tie or take the lead by UMBC, the Retrievers were forced to foul Wildcat senior guard Jermaine Anderson with 23 seconds to play. Anderson, who leads the conference in free throw percentage at 87.3% entering the game, missed the front end of a one-and-one and UMBC secured the rebound.

Retriever junior guard Brian Hodges had a three-point attempt go in and out with 14 seconds left, but Pugh grabbed the rebound. After a UMBC time-out, sophomore guard Jay Greene eluded his man with a pump fake and drew Pugh’s defender, Blagoj Janev to him. He swung the ball to Pugh, who swished a 23-footer from the left wing.

“The play was designed for Brian Hodges, but UNH did a good job of defending it…Chris Pugh made something happen,” head coach Randy Monroe said.

“Brian was double-teamed, so Mike Housman gave the ball to me,” Pugh recounted. “I thought the lane was open, but I had to kick it to Jay (Greene). He pumped faked and Janev popped out. I just got the ball and shot it.”

UNH’s Brandon Odom’s three-quarter court shot at the buzzer was well short of the target.

Both teams produced an anemic first half, as UMBC hit seven of 25 shots and UNH countered with seven of 30. But the Wildcats hit four three-point goals and five free throws, while the Retrievers were 0-of-four from behind the arc and did not attempt a free throw, hence giving the visitors a 23-14 intermission advantage.

But UMBC did a 180-degree turn in the second half, hitting nine of its first 11 shots from the floor. The Retrievers outscored the Wildcats, 21-7 to erase a 26-14 deficit and produce a 35-33 lead on a short bank shot by Thomas Young with 10:58 remaining.

Housman was the lone Retriever in double figures with 12 points. Young and Pugh each added nine points, while Young just missed a double-double with a team-best 10 rebounds. Hodges’ streak of 11 straight games in double figures ended as he was held to five points.

Onguetou did post a double-double, scoring 11 points and adding a game-best 12 rebounds for UNH.

UMBC held the Wildcats hit just 25 percent from the floor (14 of 56), setting a single game record on the defensive end. The University of Detroit hit only 16 of 61 attempts (26.2%) in a UMBC win on December 29, 2001. UMBC blocked a season-high eight shots.