WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team won its second straight contest and sixth in its last seven outings, upending visiting Franklin Pierce by a score of 66-52 on Saturday afternoon at Charger Gymnasium. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) and Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) shared the team high with 14 points apiece.
 
With the victory, New Haven improves to 12-4 overall and 7-3 in the Northeast-10. Franklin Pierce drops to 8-7 with an even 5-5 mark in conference play. The Ravens were on a four-game winning streak and had won their last 10 meetings with the Chargers dating back to an 81-64 New Haven win in the 2000 New England Collegiate Conference Tournament.
 
Bradford went 5-for-10 from the field with two three-pointers to attain her 14 points, while Hayes added a game-high nine rebounds to her scoring output. Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.
 
Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) posted nine points and five boards, and Elizabeth Cruso (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) hit three three-pointers to account for nine of New Haven's 11 bench points. Ayana Duncanson (Elmont, N.Y./Francis Lewis) added seven points with seven rebounds, and Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) rounded out the offense with two points.
 
Collectively, New Haven shot 23-for-55 (41.8 percent) from the floor, 5-for-17 (29.4 percent) from three-point range and 15-for-22 (68.2 percent) from the free throw line.
 
The Blue and Gold held a 41-34 rebounding advantage – with 10 offensive boards converted to 14 New Haven second-chance points – and each club committed 16 turnovers.
 
The Chargers, who rank second in the Northeast-10 with 60.6 points allowed per game entering the day, held the Ravens to their second-lowest output of the season. Franklin Pierce came to Charger Gymnasium averaging 72.6 points per contest for the season and 78.5 points per outing during its four-game winning streak.
 
Brittany Martelle had a game-best 20 points for Franklin Pierce. The Ravens shot 20-for-58 (34.5 percent) from the field, 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) from distance and 6-for-8 (75 percent) at the charity stripe.
 
New Haven never trailed in contest, as a Hayes three-point pay broke a 9-9 tie to stake the Chargers to a lead they would not relinquish at the 16:18 mark in the first half. Bradford and Cruso each connected from beyond the arc during a stretch that New Haven open up a nine-point cushion at 20-11, and the lead settled at 31-26 on a Moore offensive rebound and putback at the intermission.
 
Hayes scored 10 points with five boards, and Bradford netted eight over the opening 20 minutes of action.
 
The lead reached double figures for the first time on a Duncanson layup to claim a 43-32 advantage with 12:56 to play. The Ravens would climb to within five at 45-40, but a Cruso triple ended the Chargers' scoring drought. A Stone bucket and another trey from Cruso extended the margin to 13 points as the run continued to a 53-40 count with 6:59 left.
 
Franklin Pierce would cut the deficit to 55-45, but the Chargers responded with the run that would put the game away. Stone notched the next five points, including a three-point play, and the spurt grew to 11-0 as New Haven took a 66-45 edge with 2:22 to go en route to the 66-52 victory.
 
The Chargers limited their ninth opponent of the season to fewer than 60 points, reducing their season average to 60.1 points per game allowed.
 
New Haven remains at home to host No. 1 nationally-ranked Bentley on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. The Falcons are 16-0 overall and 11-0 in the NE-10 following today's 84-46 win at American International.