New Haven at Saint Thomas Aquinas
Sunday, Nov. 16 - 1:00 p.m.
Sparkill, N.Y. - Aquinas Hall
Game Coverage: Video | Live Stats
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Tip
Coming off its first win over a ranked opponent since 2008, the University of New Haven women's basketball team looks to make it two non-conference road wins to open the 2014-15 campaign. Sunday's game at Saint Thomas Aquinas is the second of four non-conference bouts in the first third of the schedule for UNH. Tip-off in Sparkill, N.Y. is set for 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Poll Position
New Haven has been selected atop the Southwest Division in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Chargers garnered 10 first-place votes on the annual ledger, which is voted upon by the conference's 15 head coaches.
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New Haven totaled 84 points in the poll to edge out Adelphi for the top spot. The Panthers picked up the remaining five first-place tallies en route to 81 points. Rounding out the Southwest are Le Moyne (58 points), American International (56), Saint Rose (46), Pace (27) and Southern Connecticut State (19).
On the national level, the Chargers are unranked but receiving votes in the preseason edition of the USA Today Sports NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. No. 16 Bloomsburg is one of two New Haven opponents ranked on the ledger - defending NCAA Champion Bentley slots at No. 5 with 11 first-place votes.
The Northeast-10 is also represented in the "other receiving votes" column by Adelphi and Stonehill.
Scouting Report
The St. Thomas Aquinas College women's basketball team is looking to build from last season, pointing to a strong core of returning players. Head Coach Kim Lusk and company expect the team to improve on its 12-13 overall record from 2013-14, and an 8-12 East Coast Conference mark that saw the squad miss the playoffs for the first time in Coach Lusk's six seasons at the helm.
While 10 of the 14 players return from a year ago, youth is still plentiful as only two seniors - Sabrina Eggink and Ashley Motrechuk - remain from the squad that advanced to the ECC finals in 2012.
STAC returns its top three scorers of a year ago, paced by sophomore guard Kristen Olsen (12.3 ppg, team-high 58 three-pointers), Eggink (10.4 ppg) and junior Alyson Brennan (8.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg).
Motrechuk, hoping to rebound from an injury-hampered season, will be rejoined by juniors Lexi Breheny and KC Sokolski and sophomores Samantha Burden, Kaitlyn McCue, Samantha Lane and Lauren Melville.
Pacing the incoming class are redshirt freshman Alex Bertolino and true freshmen Jenna Erickson, Ryan Doherty, and Adiya Henderson.
Last Meeting
New Haven and Saint Thomas Aquinas met twice in 2007-08 in the Chargers final year in the East Coast Conference. The Chargers won both meetings, including the most recent between the two on March 1, 2008. New Haven took a 74-67 win at Aquinas Hall in Sparkill, N.Y. The game concluded the regular season for both teams and the Chargers went on to earn the top in the ECC Championship tournament.
New Haven's Briiana Rende led the team with 14 points, while Alysia Saunders added 13. In total, 10 difference players scored in New Haven's 19th overall and 19th conference win. Takiyah Ingram led the game with 28 total points on 10-of-20 shooting for STAC.
All-Time Series
Former conference foes in the East Coast Conference, New Haven and Saint Thomas Aquinas have met a total 17 previous times. The Chargers hold a 10-7 a advantage in the series and have won the last two meetings, both during the 2007-08 season as part of the East Coast Conference slate.
The Chargers and Spartans first met in the 1997-98 season with STAC taking a 10-point victory, 84-74. New Haven and Saint Thomas Aquinas have also met three times in the postseason, in the East Coast Conference Championship. The Spartans hold a 2-1 record against the Chargers in the postseason.
New Haven Notes - 2014-15 Season Preview
The Chargers finished at 18-10 in the first season under Head Coach Ty Grace '99 and reached the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2007. New Haven reached its highest win total since wrapping up the 2007-08 campaign at 21-9. Despite playing two fewer conference games this past winter, the Chargers also matched the program best of 13 Northeast-10 wins.
Ty Grace registered one of the largest improvements by a first-year head coach on the Chargers' sidelines last season. Grace was the fifth first-year coach to take the Chargers to the NCAA postseason and the third to do so with a team that did not reach the NCAAs in the previous campaign. In terms of win total and win percentage, the largest improvement by a first-year coach was courtesy of Mimi Walters, who led New Haven to a 20-10 record and NCAA postseason appearance in 2002-03 after taking the reins of a club that finished 11-15 in 2001-02.
The Chargers return four starters and seven total returners from that squad, which finished 18-10 last winter. New Haven will also welcome five newcomers in the second season for Head Coach Ty Grace '99. Expectations have risen alongside the recent rise of the program, as the Blue and Gold were recently tabbed as the Southwest Division favorite in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Chargers also received votes in the preseason edition of the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The Backcourt
Leading a talented group of returners is senior Aquillin Hayes. An Honorable Mention All-America selection by the WBCA and the Women's Division II Bulletin, Hayes led the Chargers with 15.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last winter. The Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year also picked up 27 blocks and 30 steals while typically defending the opposition's primary offensive weapon. Hayes amassed 10 double-doubles on the season. She enters her senior season ranks second all-time in blocked shots at New Haven with 97 career send-backs and could reach both the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound milestones.
A three-year starter on the wing, Bria Moore enters her senior season poised to join the Chargers' 1,000-Point Club. The local product from West Haven has netted 939 points in her career after averaging 11.4 points per game in 2013-14. Moore shot a team-best 39.4 percent from three-point range while knocking down 28 triples and collecting 6.0 rebounds per contest. She is currently among New Haven's all-time leaders in career free throw and three-point shooting percentage.
Elizabeth Cruso saw an increased role at the point position as a junior, and that will only expand more in 2014-15. She appeared in all 28 games with 21 starts last year, and tallied 5.8 points per game. She drained 30 three-pointers and chipped in with 46 assists and 33 rebounds. She scored a career-high 12 points at NE-10 opponent Saint Rose.
Briana Bradford enters her junior season for the Blue and Gold, again seeing significant time at point guard. Bradford was an All-NE-10 Honorable Mention last season after garnering 13.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while knocking down a team-leading 36 three-pointers.
Another contributor in all 28 games last season, Lauren Hebert netted 3.2 points per game as a sophomore. At 5-10, Hebert can be called upon around the perimeter or in the post on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
Entering the fold at guard is Sade King, a transfer from Division I Hampton University. King did not see game action as a redshirt freshman in 2012-13 before appearing in 15 contests for the Pirates last winter. She averaged 2.1 points per game, including five points in the NCAA Championship First Round against Michigan State. Hampton won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in both of King's seasons on the Pirates' roster. She was previously a 1,000-point scorer at Mount Vernon High School.
A three-time First Team All-Public Schools Athletic League honoree, Quana Smith topped 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds at Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx, New York. She represented the PSAL at the 2013-14 NYC Mayor's Cup All-Star Game and was named one of the top 25 high school players in New York City.
Rounding out the backcourt is freshman Morgan Williams. The true freshman played scholastically at Jackson Memorial High School in Jackson, New Jersey, where she averaged five points and five rebounds per game as a senior.,
The Frontcourt
Rykema Stone has seen in an increase in production in each of her previously seasons with the Chargers and will be called upon the lead the effort down low as a senior. Stone netted 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest last winter, and her 39 blocked shots ranked ninth in New Haven single-season history. Stone scored a career-best 16 points in the season-opening win at Dominican and tore down a personal-best 13 boards in the Northeast-10 victory over Pace this past February.
Another solid presence on the block, Ashley LeBlanc added 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest for the Chargers last season. She scored a season-best eight points in two conference wins, including a victory at Saint Michael's that also included 10 rebounds. As a freshman, LeBlanc had a career day with 25 points and 10 boards at NE-10 divisional opponent Saint Rose.
The Blue and Gold will add two newcomers to the roster of post players. Division I transfer India Dotson spent the previous two seasons, including a redshirt year, at Monmouth University. Dotson appeared in two games for the Hawks in 2013-14, scoring her first collegiate points in her debut against No. 1 Connecticut. She attended Frederick High School in Frederick, Maryland and was named to the All-Monocacy Valley Athletic League (MVAL) First Team as a junior after earning Honorable Mention status as a sophomore.
Khayla Trowell comes to New Haven from Elizabeth Seton Catholic High School in Bladensburg, Maryland. She averaged seven points and six rebounds per game for the Roadrunners en route to Honorable Mention All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference status. Trowell was a McDonald's All-America nominee in 2014 and earned most valuable player laurels during her AAU career with the Maryland Lady Lakers.
The Schedule
The Chargers' 26-game slate for 2014-15 is highlighted by trips to Pennsylvania and Delaware, while 12 games will be played within the confines of Charger Gymnasium.
The schedule opens on Nov. 14 at Bloomsburg. The 2013-14 Huskies, who will begin this season ranked No. 16 in the nation, went 26-5 and advanced to the PSAC Championship Semifinals and NCAA Atlantic Region Championship Game. Before opening the home slate, the Chargers travel to New York to play two games in four days, meeting Saint Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 16 before opening Northeast-10 Southwest Division action at Le Moyne on Nov. 19 and at Pace on Nov. 22. The Blue and Gold take the court at Charger Gymnasiums for the first time American International on Nov. 25.
The Chargers head south after Thanksgiving for a tilt with Goldey-Beacom in Wilmington, Delaware on Nov. 29 for the first-ever meeting between New Haven and the CACC squad. The non-conference schedule continues at home against Dowling on Dec. 3, looking to improve on their 12-7 all-time record versus the Chargers. Getting back to Northeast-10 Conference play, the Chargers travel to Garden City, N.Y. to face the Panthers of Adelphi on Dec. 6. Following an 11-day hiatus for final exams, the Chargers are back in action on the road in Albany, New York at Saint Rose on Dec. 17.
After playing six of their first nine games on the road, the Chargers return home for three contests. The Chargers of Dominican come to Charger Gymnasium for a non-conference game on Dec. 20. The calendar year concludes with a non-conference clash against NE-10 foe Saint Anselm on Dec. 31, while crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State comes to Charger Gymnasium to tip-off 2015 and complete the first trip through the NE-10 Southwest Division on Jan. 3. The Chargers then travel to Manchester, New Hampshire to meet Saint Anselm for the second time in eight days on Jan. 7 – this time in NE-10 cross-divisional action. The bouts against the NE-10 Northeast continue at home with outings against Assumption on Jan. 10 and Saint Michael's on Jan. 13. After visiting Franklin Pierce on Jan. 17, the Blue and Gold remain on the road to challenge Bentley – the reigning NCAA Division II National Champion – on Jan. 21.
Facing their fifth and sixth NE-10 Northeast Division contender in a row, the Chargers visit Stonehill on Jan. 24 and Southern New Hampshire on Jan 27. The Chargers close out January with a trip to North Andover, Massachusetts to face the Merrimack Warriors on Jan. 31. The Blue and Gold then make the shortest road trip of the season with a Feb. 4 contest at Southern Connecticut State. The clash with the Owls starts New Haven's second trip through the NE-10 Southwest Division.
The Chargers wrap up the regular season with home contests against Saint Rose and Le Moyne on Feb. 7 and Feb. 10, trips to Pace and American International on Feb. 14 and Feb. 18, and the final game of the 2014-15 regular season at Charger Gymnasium on Feb. 24 with a visit from Adelphi.
The top five teams from each division qualify for the NE-10 postseason, which begins with the First Round on Friday, Feb. 27. The NE-10 Championship Game is set for Sunday, March 8.
Up Next
New Haven opens its Northeast-10 Conference slate at Le Moyne in Syracuse, N.Y. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at Le Moyne. Tipoff against the Dolphins is set for 5 p.m.
