The University of New Hampshire men’s basketball team delivered a dominating performance Thursday night, defeating Curry College 113–31 in their home opener at Lundholm Gymnasium. The win marked head coach Nathan Davis’s third season’s home opener victory at UNH.
After a tough 88–37 loss to Clemson earlier in the week, the Wildcats bounced back with energy and focus, controlling the game from start to finish. UNH’s offense came alive in the second half, outscoring the Colonels 67–7. This set a new program record for most points in a single half, breaking the previous record of 64 points set in 1989 against Vermont.
The Curry Colonels gained possession at tipoff, but the Wildcats quickly took control with a layup by John Squire less than a minute into the game. Despite maintaining the lead, UNH struggled to find a consistent rhythm early on. With 12 minutes and 10 seconds left in the first half, Curry’s junior guard Tommy Mallison narrowed the gap to 18–2. UNH entered halftime ahead 46–24.
Head coach Nathan Davis said he wasn’t satisfied with how his team closed the first half.
“Honestly, I was a little disappointed with the stuff in the first half, especially the last ten minutes,” Davis said.
UNH showed improvement after halftime, significantly extending its lead over Curry College. Junior forward Davide Poser opened the second half with a three-pointer, setting the tone for what became a dominant, offensive stretch.
One of the game’s highlights came from freshman guard Myles Blackley, who finished a fast-break dunk off an assist from Tyler Bike, bringing the crowd to its feet.
Defensively, the Wildcats were just as sharp, holding the Colonels to only seven points in the final half to close out a statement win in front of the home crowd.
Junior guard KiJan Robinson led the team with 20 points and five assists, followed by Jack Graham with 14 points and Belal El Shakery with 12 points. Robinson credited the team’s energy and execution for the dominant performance.
“In the second half, we came out both offensively and defensively and turned up the intensity. That’s what it has to be every time,” he said.
Robinson said the win was especially meaningful after the team’s difficult start to the season.
“It felt good getting that win because we had to bounce back from a very tough loss against Clemson,” he said.
Coach Davis praised the team’s second-half performance but stressed the importance of consistency.
“Every game you play, the goal has got to be to play the best possible game you can,” he said.
“Honestly, in the second half, we came pretty close.”
On breaking the program’s scoring record, Davis added, “I challenged them a bit at halftime because I didn’t like the way we finished the half, and I thought how we responded was a good sign.”
Looking ahead, Davis said the focus now shifts to building consistency and continuing to improve each game.
“We’ll try to improve in the areas that we need to get better. If we can be mentally tough coming into work every day, I think we’ve got a chance to have a pretty good year,” he said.
Upcoming, the Wildcats (1-1) will travel to Harvard on Sunday, Nov. 9, before returning home to face Emmanuel College on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
