DURHAM – Junior Clarence Daniels (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) led the Wildcats on Monday night by scoring 30 points on 11 of 14 shooting while making all five free throws he attempted as the University of New Hampshire men’s basketball team defeated Holy Cross, 78-60 at Lundholm Gymnasium. 

UNH improves to 5-6 overall on the year with the win. Holy Cross falls to 3-9 overall. 

Daniels tallied his second 30-point game of the season, his other coming Dec. 6 at Boston College when he scored 34.

In the first 11 minutes, both teams went back and forth with baskets until graduate student Matt Herasme (Chester, N.Y.) hit two 3-pointers putting the ‘Cats ahead 23-14.

Daniels stole the ball and made a key layup to advance the Wildcats’ lead to 30-21 with 5:10 left in the half. 

The Wildcats built their largest lead of the first half after a pair of Daniels free throws pushed the score to 38-24 with 1:25 to go until the break. 

Holy Cross cut the lead going into the locker room to 39-29. 

Holy Cross started off the half by scoring five straight points, but UNH responded with an 8-0 run to push the lead to 51-38.

After seven unanswered points from Holy Cross, Johnson stepped up and made two baskets in a row followed by a 3-pointer from Daniels to give the Wildcats a 62-47 lead. 

The Wildcats’ largest lead of the half came with 3:07 remaining after Daniels made a pull-up jumper on the fast break, giving UNH an 18-point advantage, 74-56.

UNH kept an 18-point lead until the final whistle, winning the game, 78-60. 

The Wildcats return to action Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Brown in Providence, R.I. at the Pizzitola Sports Center.