New Hampshire
UMass Lowell basketball teams sweep away New Hampshire
DURHAM, N.H. – Sophomore Brayden O’Connor (Ottawa, Ontario) scored a career-high 23 points to help lead the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team to a 82-75 victory against the New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in the conference opener.
“Great way to start conference play with a well-earned road win against a tough opponent,” said UML head coach Pat Duquette. “Lots of good contributions in a total team effort with some crucial execution and timely free throws down the stretch.”
One of four double-digit scorers for the River Hawks (10-4, 1-0 AE), O’Connor shot 58% (7-for-12) from the field, including hitting a personal-best three triples.
Senior Quinton Mincey (Upper Marlboro, Md.) also totaled a career-high with 19 points alongside a team-best 12 rebounds. Senior Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.) added 17 points and eight rebounds, while junior Cam Morris III (Alexander City, Ala.) chipped in with 12 and nine boards, including eight on the offensive glass.
Brooks got things started early for the River Hawks, scoring the team’s first 10 points to put his squad up four with 15:46 on the clock. Meanwhile, UMass Lowell began to lock down on defense, allowing only one jumper over five minutes of play. The Wildcats (8-6, 0-1 AE) countered with a strong defensive presence of their own, but a triple and two free throws by Mincey helped the visitors maintain a seven-point edge, 17-10, with 11 minutes remaining in the first.
New Hampshire began to find its rhythm on the offensive end as Jaxson Baker sank the team’s first three of the night, followed shortly after by another three from Clarence Daniels. Although O’Connor followed with a trey of his own, the hosts responded with a 12-2 run over six minutes of play to jump in front, 28-24, with 3:34 on the clock. The River Hawks, however, battled right back with a 7-2 burst, highlighted by four points from O’Connor, to hold a one-point advantage, 31-30, heading into the break.
The start of the second half began with a back-and-forth that was capped off by a three-pointer from Trey Woodyard to put the Wildcats up one. The River Hawks maintained their composure, however, as they put together a 12-2 run highlighted by an aggressive defense that forced four Wildcat turnovers over five possessions. Although New Hampshire found a quick 5-0 burst to chip the lead down to 48-44 with 14:46 on the clock, UMass Lowell fired right back with seven straight points, kick-started by a second-chance bucket from Morris III.
Women win first
LOWELL – A dominant performance from the UMass Lowell women’s basketball team led to its first win of the season with a 70-53 victory over the New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at the Costello Athletic Center.
Graduate student Mili Carrera (Lima, Peru) led the River Hawks (1-13, 1-1 AE) with 18 points, shooting 5-for-9 from behind the arc, and added a team-high seven assists with five rebounds and three steals.
Freshman Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) added 14 points shooting 7-for-9 while redshirt-junior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and seven assists along with a team-high four steals. Freshman Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) scored 12 points and had three rebounds.
New Hampshire fell to 6-9, 0-2 AE.
An Alton man is dead after a snowmobile crash in New Hampshire’s North Country Thursday afternoon.
The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game says 63-year-old Bradford Jones was attempting to negotiate a left hand turn on Corridor Trail 5 in Colebrook when he lost control of his snowmobile, struck multiple trees off the side of the trail and was thrown from the vehicle shortly before 3:30 p.m.
Jones was riding with another snowmobiler, who was in the lead at the time of the crash, according to the agency. Once the other man realized Jones was no longer behind him, he turned around and traveled back where he found Jones significantly injured, lying off the trail beside his damaged snowmobile.
The man immediately rendered aid to Jones and called 911 for assistance, NH Fish and Game said. The Colebrook Fire Department used their rescue tracked all terrain vehicle and a specialized off road machine to transport first responders across about a mile of trail to the crash scene.
Once there, a conservation officer and 45th Parallel EMS staff attempted lifesaving measures for approximately an hour, but Jones ultimately died from his injuries at the scene of the crash, officials said.
The crash remains under investigation, but conservation officers are considering speed for the existing trail conditions to have been a primary factor in this deadly incident.
Recently, I met with a husband who had been caring for his wife since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Her needs were escalating quickly — appointments, medications, meals, personal care — and he was determined to keep her at home. But the cost to his own wellbeing was undeniable. He was sleep‑deprived, depressed, and beginning to experience cognitive decline himself.
As director of the Referral Education Assistance & Prevention (REAP) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center, which supports older adults and caregivers across New Hampshire in partnership with the CMHC’s across the state, I hear stories like his every week. And his experience is far from unique.
Across the country, 24% of adults are family caregivers. Here in New Hampshire, 281,000 adults provide this essential care, often with little preparation or support. Only 11% receive any formal training to manage personal care tasks — yet they are the backbone of our long‑term care system, helping aging parents, spouses, and loved ones remain safely at home. (AARP, 2025)
REAP provides short‑term counseling, education, and support for older adults, caregivers, and the professionals who support them. We address concerns around mental health, substance use and cognitive functioning. After 21 years working with caregivers, I have seen how inadequate support directly harms families. Caregiving takes a serious toll — emotionally, physically, socially and financially. Many experience depression, chronic stress, and increased risk of alcohol or medication misuse.
In REAP’s own data from 2024:
- 50% of caregivers reported moderate to severe depression
- 29% reported suicidal ideation in the past two weeks
- 25% screened positive for at‑risk drinking
Their responsibilities go far beyond tasks like medication management and meal preparation. They interpret moods, manage behavioral changes, ease emotional triggers, and create meaningful engagement for the person they love. Their world revolves around the care recipient — often leading to isolation, loss of identity, guilt, and ongoing grief.
The statistics reflect what I see every week. Nearly one in four caregivers feels socially isolated. Forty‑three percent experience moderate to high emotional stress. And 31% receive no outside help at all.
Compare that to healthcare workers, who work in teams, receive breaks, have coworkers who step in when overwhelmed, and are trained and compensated for their work. Even with these supports, burnout is common. Caregivers receive none of these protections yet are expected to shoulder the same level of responsibility — alone, unpaid, and unrecognized.
Senate Bill 608 in New Hampshire would finally begin to fill these gaps. The bill provides access to counseling, peer support, training, and caregiver assessment for family caregivers of individuals enrolled in two Medicaid waiver programs: Acquired Brain Disorder (ABD) and Choices for Independence (CFI). These services would address the very needs I see daily.
Professional counseling helps caregivers process the complex emotions of watching a loved one decline or manage the stress that comes with it. Peer support connects them with others navigating similar challenges. Caregiver assessment identifies individual needs before families reach crisis.
When caregivers receive the right support, everyone benefits. The care recipient receives safer, more compassionate care. The caregiver’s health stabilizes instead of deteriorating from chronic stress and neglect. And costly options, which many older adults want to avoid, are delayed or prevented.
There is a direct and measurable link between caregiver training and caregiver wellbeing. The spouse I mentioned earlier is proof. Through REAP, he received education about his wife’s diagnosis, guidance on communication and behavior, and strategies to manage his own stress. Within weeks, his depression decreased from moderate to mild without medication. He was sleeping through the night and thinking more clearly. His frustration with his wife dropped significantly because he finally understood what she was experiencing and how to respond compassionately.
The real question before lawmakers is not whether we can afford SB 608. It is whether we can afford to continue ignoring the needs of those who hold our care system together. In 1970, we had 31 caregivers for every one person needing care. By 2010, that ratio dropped to 7:1. By 2030, it is projected to be 4:1. Our caregiver supply is shrinking while needs continue to grow. Without meaningful support, our systems — healthcare, long‑term care, and community supports — cannot function. (AARP, 2013)
Caregivers don’t ask for much. They want to keep their loved ones safe, comfortable, and at home. They want to stay healthy enough to continue providing care. SB 608 gives them the tools to do exactly that.
I urge New Hampshire lawmakers to support SB 608 and stand with the 281,000 residents who are quietly holding our care system together. We cannot keep waiting until caregivers collapse to offer help. We must provide the support they need now — before the burden becomes too heavy to bear.
Anne Marie Sirrine, LICSW, CDP is a staff therapist and the director of the REAP (Referral Education Assistance & Prevention) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center.
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