BOX SCORE Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The University of New Haven women’s basketball team was defeated by American International College on Thursday evening, as the Yellow Jackets handed the Chargers a 60-45 loss at Henry A. Botuva Gymnasium. With the loss, UNH dropped to 2-18 overall and 1-15 in Northeast-10 Conference competition. AIC improved to 15-6, 11-6 in the league.

First half shooting woes plagued New Haven in this one, as the Chargers connected on just 19 percent of their attempted field goals. The Yellow Jackets on the other hand performed admirably on the offensive end, using 57 percent shooting to grasp a large lead at the break, 39-14.

In addition to a high percentage shooting the basketball, the Yellow Jackets also controlled the boards, doubling UNH with an 18-9 margin. Rhea Pascal led AIC with nine points in the opening 20 minutes, while Anh-Dao Tran and Lauren Boivin paced the Chargers offense with six and four points, respectively.

Fortunately for the Chargers, the first 10 minutes of the second half featured a completely different game than the first half. New Haven charged out of the locker room on a 18-4 run, cutting their 25 point deficit to just 12 points with nine minutes remaining in regulation.

UNH continued to play well and cut the Yellow Jackets lead to 10 points with five minutes to play. However, the Chargers comeback came up short, as AIC’s offense came back to life in the closing minutes. UNH outscored the Yellow Jackets 31-21 in the second half and controlled the rebound margin as well.

For the fourth consecutive game, Tran led the Chargers offense, pouring in 17 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Boivin finished with nine points and four rebounds, Dominique Stellmacher chimed in with eight points and eight rebounds and Ayana Duncanson pumped in five points and seven rebounds.

Pascal led the Yellow Jackets with 16 points and 10 boards to complete the double-double. Johnson also reached double-figures with 13 points.

The Chargers return to the hardwood with a home game on Saturday, February 5 against Southern Connecticut State University. The University of New Haven Athletic Department will host ‘Unity thru Hoops’ at Charger Gymnasium, with all the action beginning at 1 p.m.