Abreu clocks the points, if not the time for UNH

Alvin Abreu hasn't started a game yet for the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team, but the freshman guard is the Wildcats' third-leading scorer.

The Lynn native is the third player off the bench, and he's coming off jacking shots. The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound Abreu is averaging 10.4 points per game, but hasn't been able to log consistent playing time.

He clocked 19 minutes in the Wildcats' season-opening 67-57 loss to Boston College but he made the most of his time, heaving 10 shots and hitting a couple of threes in a late surge that proved futile. He jacked five errant threes the next game against Suffolk, making 11 shots altogether, but was perfect from the free-throw line and finished with 12 points.

His best night was probably a 14-point, three-rebound, three-assist showing against Central Connecticut, in which he came out hot in the first half and finished the night 5 for 8 from the floor. He was able to affect the game in more than one dimension in a 78-70 win.

Abreu twisted his way around the country as a high school player, first at Lynn Classical where he torched the Northeast Conference for 20 points and eight rebounds per night as a junior. He headed to Chicago in his senior year to play for nationally ranked Boys to Men Academy, where he averaged 14 points per night.

The Wildcats added him to the guard rotation behind juniors Tyrece Gibbs and Eric Gilchrese, but now the backcourt's busting at the seams. Abreu is is playing more minutes (24 a game) and Gibbs is one of only two players that have more shot attempts.

Note to the Massachusetts State College defenders: Put a body on Salem State's Alex Finn from 23 feet on out. Finn, the most accurate long-range shooter in the conference last year, was feeling it in a 95-56 win over Wheelock last month. Finn scored 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting (7-of-8 from beyond the arc). The game before, he stuck Plymouth State for 21 points in just 16 minutes, going 7 of 10 from the floor (3 for 5 from 3-point range) in a 99-92 win. Altogether, the week's worth of work earned him a share of MASCAC player of the week honors.

Even under new coach Chris Harvey, it's been pretty much the same routine for the Vikings. They're off to a 5-1 start while pounding opponents by an average of 20.4 points.

Sad to see this Kevin Cleveland stat line go to waste in Newbury College's loss to Salem State. The 6-4 forward from Lynn Voke filled the scorebook with 14 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. The Nighthawks still absorbed an 82-62 loss, dropping to 2-5. They don't shoot the three, less than half of their buckets come off assists, and they have a slight turnover problem. However, the team does rebound, converts from the free-throw line, and shoots a decent clip from the floor. It's a matter of putting it all together, so getting something consistent across the board from Cleveland, whom they're depending on as an inside presence, is big.

Big blip on the radar from the West Coast. Sheylani Peddy, Melrose High's all-time leading scorer (1,614 points), helped the Wright State women's basketball team snap a five-game losing streak by raining 31 points on North Dakota State in the last game of the Cal Poly Holiday Beach Classic.

With Wright trailing by 8 with eight minutes left, the 5-6 Peddy scored 10 points, including a 3-pointer that tied it at 74 with four minutes to go. She iced the win with a couple of free throws, then headed to the bench with an 11-for-18 night with four rebounds and four assists on the side. Her efforts gave her a spot on the all-tournament team.

Peddy's made an instant impact for the Raiders, leading the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game.

Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com.