Category: Photo

Plymouth starts slow, drops third straight

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — Plymouth State dug itself out of an early 10–0 hole and battled back behind five double-figure scorers, but the University of New England’s second-half surge proved too much as the Panthers fell 92–84 on Thursday night at Foley Gymnasium.

Plymouth State (3–3, 0–0 Little East) showed resilience after the slow start, highlighted by a standout performance from freshman Keegan Martinez, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9-for-15 shooting. Yansel Reyes added 19 points, including two threes and strong downhill scoring that helped PSU close the gap throughout the first half.

Asante’ Aurora chipped in 14 points, while Torran Bosworth (11) and Brady Hulland (10) rounded out the Panthers’ five players in double figures. Plymouth State generated 20 second-chance points and used its physicality inside to stay within striking distance deep into the second half.

The University of New England (2–3, 0–0 CNE) countered with one of its most efficient offensive efforts of the season, shooting 51.6 percent and getting a dominant 24-point, 11-rebound night from Adam Lux. Jaelen Jackson added 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Jayden Thornton scored 17 off the bench while hitting three threes. UNE’s transition game made a significant impact, producing 27 fast-break points and turning 22 PSU turnovers into 19 points.

Despite the early deficit and UNE’s shooting, Plymouth State continued to push behind balanced scoring and a strong free-throw effort (21-for-28), but the Nor’easters’ late-game execution held off the Panthers’ final run.

Plymouth State returns to action on Nov. 25 when it hosts Rivier. The University of New England travels to Southern Maine on Nov. 23.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal …

Plymouth State Men vs. UNE (11.20.25) - KJ CARDINAL
Plymouth State Men vs. UNE (11.20.25) – KJ CARDINAL
105 photos

Fast start propels NEC past Plymouth St.

By: KJ Cardinal

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — New England College used a fast start and a balanced scoring effort to grab a solid road win on Thursday evening, defeating Plymouth State 73–65 at Foley Gym.

New England College (2–3, 0–0 Great Northeast) jumped out to a 20–7 lead in the first quarter and never trailed, stacking double-figure scoring from Jayden Estrada (12), Nyah Belton (10), Camryn Lewis (14), and Ajayah Lively (10). Lewis powered the Pilgrims inside with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Estrada added six assists and ran the offense with poise.

Plymouth State (5–1, 0–0 Little East) surged back behind a strong second-half push, highlighted by Ashley Stephens (13), Hailey Malozzi (12), Sophie George (12)—who hit four threes—and Elli Cox (10). Stephens went 6-for-8 at the line, and Malozzi added seven boards and three steals as the Panthers made a late run.

New England College’s depth proved to be the difference, producing 29 bench points and helping the Pilgrims win the rebounding margin 44–30. Lewis converted six free throws, and Lively delivered eight rebounds of her own as NEC held off PSU’s fourth-quarter charge.

New England College is back in action on Dec. 3 at Mount Holyoke, while Plymouth State returns to the hardwood on Nov. 25, traveling to Rivier for a non-conference matchup.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal …

NEC Women at Plymouth (11.20.25) - KJ CARDINAL
NEC Women at Plymouth (11.20.25) – KJ CARDINAL
101 photos

SNHU knocks off #24 Bentley

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Southern New Hampshire knocked off No. 24 Bentley on Wednesday night in non-conference action, using a strong second half and a dominant outing from Ugo Nwachukwu to earn a 79–73 win at the Stan Spirou Field House.

Southern New Hampshire (2–1, 0–0 NE10) rode the two-way presence of Nwachukwu, who delivered 27 points, 16 rebounds, and four three-pointers in one of the top performances across the NE10 this week. The Penmen knocked down nine threes as a team and shot 54 percent in the second half to pull away from the nationally ranked Falcons.

No. 24 Bentley (1–2, 0–0 NE10) leaned on Cooper Farrall, who powered his way to 24 points and 12 rebounds, keeping the Falcons within striking distance throughout the night. Bentley trailed just 36–33 at the break and stayed within one possession early in the second half before the Penmen pushed the margin behind steady guard play.

Jojo Wallace turned in his best performance of the season for SNHU, scoring 21 points with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Jacari Sanders added 17 and provided key shot creation late. The Penmen also earned 14 second-chance points and converted 16 points off turnovers to keep control of the momentum.

Bentley countered with balanced support behind Farrall, as Osiris Nalls added 15 points off the bench and Ivan Misic chipped in nine, but the Falcons couldn’t overcome SNHU’s late-game execution and foul-line efficiency (16-for-21).

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

SNHU Men vs. Bentley (11.19.25) - KJ CARDINAL
SNHU Men vs. Bentley (11.19.25) – KJ CARDINAL
111 photos

SNHU falls to nationally ranked Bentley

By: KJ Cardinal

MANCHESTER, N.H. — No. 23 Bentley used a pair of 20-point quarters and a sharp perimeter performance to pull away from Southern New Hampshire for a 79–51 road win in Northeast-10 play Wednesday night at the Stan Spirou Field House.

The nationally ranked Falcons (2–1, 1–0 NE10) came out firing behind Niya Morgen, who knocked down five three-pointers on her way to a game-high 22 points. Bentley built a 40–31 halftime advantage and continued to push the pace in the third behind Kayana Armbrister, who added 15 points, four rebounds and two steals in a strong two-way effort.

The Penmen (1–2, 0–1 NE10) kept things tight early thanks to a perfect night from Meghan Gordon, who scored 19 points on 7-for-7 shooting, including a pair of threes. The Penmen trailed by just nine at the break, but the Falcons extended the margin with a 39–20 second-half surge

Bentley’s depth proved significant as Ava Orlando and Cherish Bryant each added nine points off the bench, while the Falcons generated 16 points off 17 SNHU turnovers. The Penmen also received eight points each from Ava Winterburn (Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown HS) and Madison Hughes, though the Penmen struggled to regain its offensive rhythm after halftime.

Bentley returns to action on Nov. 23 with a trip to Saint Anselm, while Southern New Hampshire heads to Post that same day. Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

SNHU Women vs. Bentley (11.19.25) - KJ CARDINAL
SNHU Women vs. Bentley (11.19.25) – KJ CARDINAL
122 photos

Rivier comes up short vs. Colby

By: KJ Cardinal

NASHUA, N.H. – Rivier dropped a non-conference matchup on Saturday afternoon, falling to Colby College, 77–67, at the Muldoon Center. The loss moves the Raiders to 2–2 on the season, while Colby opened its slate at 1–0.

Colby opened the game on a 7–0 run, but Rivier responded with early scoring from senior Rob Baguidy (Goffstown, NH/Goffstown HS), sophomore Steph Barnes, and first-year Daylen Dalcour to steady the offense and close the gap to 13–9. Baguidy continued to attack the lane midway through the first half, helping the Raiders briefly take their first lead of the afternoon.

Rivier trailed just 33–31 at halftime after holding the Mules to three made three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.

The Raiders maintained momentum early in the second half behind drives from sophomore Matt Youngquist and senior Izaiah Shaw-Glen, and a fast-break finish from junior Theo Briscoe IV gave Rivier a 45–44 advantage. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes, with Shaw-Glen pacing the offense with eight second-half points to keep Rivier within 65–62.

Colby responded with a decisive 12–3 run late in the half, converting a three-pointer and three inside scores to pull ahead 77–65 before closing out the win at the free-throw line.

Baguidy led Rivier with 20 points, adding eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Shaw-Glen followed with 16 points to go along with seven boards and four assists, while Dalcour added 12 points from the frontcourt.

Rivier returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 18, traveling to take on the University of New England at 7 p.m.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal …

Rivier Men vs. Colby (11.15.25) - KJ CARDINAL
Rivier Men vs. Colby (11.15.25) – KJ CARDINAL
83 photos

Riv’s comeback bid comes up short

By: KJ Cardinal

NASHUA, NH – Rivier overcame a 19-point first quarter deficit to force overtime, but the Raiders came up short versus visiting Wheaton, 84-81, on Saturday afternoon in the Muldoon Center.

Gianna Donato had a career day as the sophomore poured in a career- and game-high 30 points for Riv. Fellow sophomore Sydney Perry also had a big afternoon with 24 points and 16 rebounds, while JuJu Nealy added 12 points before leaving the game with an injury.

Prior to the start of the game, Rivier was issued an administrative technical foul as one of the shot clocks was not functioning. Wheaton went to the line and connected on two freebies before tip off and started the game with a 2-0 lead. In a game that would go to overtime, this would loom large.

Following the technical, the Raiders started the game extremely slow as they were just 4-14 from the field, including 0-5 from three, in the opening quarter with eight turnovers. Rivier dug themselves into a 26-7 hole with less than 30 seconds left in the first.

The second quarter, however, was a different story. Riv outscored the Lyons, 23-17, and had cut the lead to seven before trailing 43-32 at the break. Once again, the Raiders were able to trim the Wheaton lead to seven, but the Lyons would take a 63-48 lead to the final stanza.

Halfway through the fourth, Nealy suffered an injury and would not return. The Raiders trailed by nine, 68-59, at the time of the point guards’ exit. Ball handling duties would be given to Donato and she took over on the offensive end of the floor. Donato pumped in nine points over the next three minutes and got Riv within striking distance, 72-69, with 1:55 left.

Trailing by two on the final Rivier possession of regulation, Donato missed a driving layup and freshman Madi Ricker (Farmington, NH/Farmington HS) was there to clean up the offense foul and get fouled in the process. Ricker, who led the team with 43 minutes played, took a deep breath and knocked down both free throws with 12 seconds left to send the game to overtime, 74-74. Rivier won the fourth quarter, 26-11.

In the extra frame, the two squads battled throughout and a Donato lay up with 23 seconds remaining would give Rivier its first lead of the game, 81-80. Following a timeout, Wheaton’s sideline out-of-bounds play was a direct post to Cheyenne Colbert (Brookline, NH/Hollis-Brookline HS) who knocked down the turnaround jumper to give the Lyons the lead for good. On the night, Colbert netted 17 points with five rebounds.

For the game, Rivier turned the ball over 32 times and was just 14-27 (51.9%) from the line. With the loss, Riv falls to 0-3 on the young season and next up is Brandeis on Tuesday, also at the Muldoon Center.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Rivier Women vs. Wheaton (11.15.25) - KJ CARDINAL
Rivier Women vs. Wheaton (11.15.25) – KJ CARDINAL
148 photos

Plymouth State powers to 4-0 start

By: KJ Cardinal

PLYMOUTH, NH – We tipped off our fifth season of coverage at Foley Gymnasium on Friday night as the Plymouth State women remained unbeaten on the season with a 78-67 victory over visiting Norwich.

The Panthers, whose roster features 14 Granite Staters, used hot shooting and defensive pressure to improve to 4-0 on the young season with the victory.

PSU jumped out to a 14-8 lead in the first quarter and used a 16-4 second quarter spurt to take an 18-point lead to halftime, 42-24.

The Panthers came out firing in the third quarter as they opened the second half on an 11-2 run to push advantage to 27, 53-26.

The visiting Cadets, who entered the contest with a 2-0 mark, would hang around thanks to a 14-4 run to start the fourth. Norwich cut the PSU lead to eight on two occasions, but would get no closer.

Plymouth connected on 10 triples on the evening, thanks to four apiece from seniors Sophie George (Meredith, NH/Tilton School) and Raegan Peck. PSU’s 1-2-2 full court press helped force 20 Cadet turnovers that led to 25 points for the Panthers.

Senior Hailey Malozzi paced third-year head coach Curtis Arsenault’s squad with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. George pumped in 14 points of her own, while all of Peck’s 12 points came from beyond the arc. Junior Ashley Stephens (Pembroke, NH/Pembroke Academy) was also in double digits for the Panthers with 10 points.

Freshman Macy Swormstedt (Laconia, NH/Laconia HS) got the start for an injured Kaley Goodhart (Center Conway, NH/Kennett HS). Swormstedt tallied five points, five rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes of action.

Next up, Plymouth hosts VTSU-Lyndon on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Plymouth State Women vs. Norwich (11.14.25)
Plymouth State Women vs. Norwich (11.14.25)
172 photos

Herons go 1-1 at D-II nationals

By: Mike Whaley

The Great Bay CC men’s basketball team went 1-1 at the USCAA Division II National Tournament in Buffalo to finish the season with the best record in school history (23-6).

The No. 4 Herons lost their opener on Wednesday night to Penn State Schuylkill, 74-55. It was a close game at the half with GBCC trailing, 35-32. But Penn State used a big second half (39-23) to pull away. Theo Wolfe led the Herons with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Mpore Semuhoza added 10 points and seven boards. Sean Chanakira and Ethan May (five steals) added nine and eight points, respectively. GB shot just 34 percent from the field and made only 5 of 26 of their 3-pointers.

In the consolation round on Thursday, Great Bay bounced back to beat Penn State York, 103-100. Wolfe had a monster night with a game-high 37 points on 14-of-17 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. Semuhoza added 23 points, Chanakira knocked in 12. Keith Landry and Cam O’Brien had seven points apiece. The win was the 23rd for the Herons, also a school record.

Miami Hamilton won the national title on Saturday over Penn State Schuylkill, 53-52.

At the award ceremony on Monday (March 10), Wolfe was named D-II First Team All-American and Semuhoza was picked to the second team. NHTI’s Joseph Cantey was honorable mention.

Pembroke tops Sanborn for the Division II state title

By: KJ Cardinal

DURHAM, NH – For the ninth time in school history, Pembroke is NHIAA Division II Boys Basketball State Champions. The top-seeded Spartans defeated No. 3 Sanborn, 63-54, to come away with the crown at a packed Lundholm Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.

Sophomore Andrew Fitzgerald poured in a game-high 26 points, 19 coming in the first half, to go along with 11 points to pace Pembroke.

Evan Berkeley, the 2025 NHBCO Division II Player of the Year, netted 15 points with most of his damage coming at the free-throw line where he was 9-for-12. Zac Bemis added 11.

Chase Frizzell led the Indians with 22 points and Jesse Cavallo chipped in with 15 points and six steals.

The two teams were tied at 16-16 after one quarter of play and Pembroke led by just two at the break.

While the Indians connected on 50 percent (14-for-28) fields in the first half, they went cold in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter. Sanborn was 4-for-13 in the third quarter (30.8 percent) and just 3-for-18 in the final frame (16.7 percent).

The victory for Pembroke marks the first title for the Spartans since 2019 and the ninth overall.

Check out the full photo gallery by Michael Griffin…

Pembroke Boys vs Sanborn (3-16-25) - Michael Griffin
Pembroke Boys vs Sanborn (3-16-25) – Michael Griffin
192 photos

Bedford comes from behind to down Keene for the D-I title

By: KJ Cardinal

DURHAM, NH – Trailing by seven points with under three minutes remaining, top-seeded Bedford closed the game on a 12-4 run to earn a come-from-behind, 51-50, victory over No. 6 Keene to capture the 2025 NHIAA Division I Boys Basketball State Championship on Sunday night at Lundholm Gymnasium.

While the Bulldogs struggled shooting the ball all night, they were dominant on the glass and that proved to be the difference. Bedford shot just 30 percent from the field (18-60), 48.3 percent from the line (14-29) and 4.5 percent from three (1-22). However, the Bulldogs won the battle on the boards 53-32, including 27 offensive rebounds and 29 second-chance points.

Wiji Dak pulled down 14 boards, while Connor O’Rourke and Landon Ellsmore both grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs efforts on the glass. O’Rourke also paced the Bedford offense with 18 points and Ellsmore added 10.

Keene was led by a game-high 19 points from Javon Massiah.

The game was close throughout as the two squads played evenly in the opening quarter, 14-14. Keene would later take a five-point lead to the break, 25-20.

Bedford came out strong in the second half as they cut the Keene lead to two after three quarters of play, 34-32. The Blackbirds appeared to take control of the game in the beginning of the final stanza as they led 46-39 with less than three minutes on the clock.

With 2:55 left in the game, a three-point play by Ellsmore, off an offensive rebound nonetheless, started the final run for the Bulldogs.

A half court heave by Keene’s Kasen Abbott came up short as it grazed the front of the rim as time expired to give Bedford the win.

Check out the full photo gallery by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…

Bedford Boys vs. Keene (03.16.25) - JEFF CRISS
Bedford Boys vs. Keene (03.16.25) – JEFF CRISS
126 photos