WORCESTER, Mass. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team overcame a late nine-point deficit but could not hold off host Assumption in a 70-64 loss on Saturday afternoon at Laska Gymnasium. Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) scored a team-high 14 points in the Chargers' first loss in five games.
 
With the loss, New Haven falls to 10-4 overall and 5-3 in the Northeast-10. The Greyhounds, who reached the NE-10 Championship Game and qualified for the NCAA East Region Championship last winter, improve to 9-6 with a 5-4 conference tally.
 
With 14 points off the bench, Bradford led the Chargers in scoring for the third consecutive game. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) netted 12 points with five rebounds, while Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) led the way on the glass with seven rips in addition to nine points. Ayana Duncanson (Elmont, N.Y./Francis Lewis) also tallied nine points, and Audrey Cunningham (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) knocked down two three-pointers on her way to eight bench points.
 
As a unit, the Chargers shot 28-for-65 (43.1 percent) from the field, 4-for-13 (30.8 percent) from the free throw line and 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from the free throw line.
 
New Haven stifled the Greyhounds defensively, forcing 18 turnovers that led to 23 Charger points and holding the hosts to 25-for-63 (39.7 percent) shooting from the floor. However, Assumption hauled in 18 offensive boards that led to 21 second-chance points. Overall, the Greyhounds held a 48-32 rebounding advantage.
 
The Chargers led by as many as nine points in the first half, guided by 10 points from Hayes. However, the subsequent 14-3 run by the Greyhounds would stake the home team to a 27-25 advantage. Bradford capped the opening period with a coast-to-coast buzzer-beater, sending New Haven into the intermission facing a three-point deficit at 36-33.
 
The Blue and Gold briefly reclaimed the lead in the second half at 40-39, but the Greyhounds would net the next seven markers and go on to build an advantage as large as nine points at 61-52 with six minutes to play. Bradford responded with back-to-back three-pointers, igniting a 10-0 New Haven run that put the Chargers on top, 62-61, with under two minutes remaining. But the final run would prove decisive, as Assumption scored the next five points and hit 4-fo-5 free throws in the final 32 seconds to seal the 70-64 victory.
 
New Haven looks to bounce back on Tuesday, Jan. 14 with a 5:30 p.m. contest at Saint Michael's. After their longest road trip of the Northeast-10 season, the Chargers return home to host Franklin Pierce on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3:30 p.m.