WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team finished on a 27-8 run to surge past visiting Pace, 56-42, on Saturday afternoon at Charger Gymnasium. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) led the Chargers with 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.

New Haven improves to 16-8 overall and 11-7 in Northeast-10 action following the divisional victory. Pace drops to 5-18 with a 4-13 conference mark.
 
Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) added eight points, four blocks and a game-best 13 rebounds as the Chargers held a 48-44 edge on the boards. Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) and Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) each chipped in with eight points to lead the UNH bench to a 18-3 advantage in points off the bench. 
 
The 42 points ceded by the New Haven defense marked a season low. The Chargers struggled from beyond the arc, but the defense held the Setters to 23.8 percent from the floor. 

Pace was led by a game-high 18 points from Margo Hackett. Kirsten Dodge added eight points and 11 rebounds. 
 
Both teams missed their first attempts from the field during the first two minutes. The Chargers netted the game's first points at the 18:02 mark when Elizabeth Cruso (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) scored the first two of her six-point game. Hayes and Cruso added two more buckets before the Setters' first points of the afternoon at the 16:19 mark. Pace scored three quick three-pointers to spur a 9-2 run and take a 9-8 lead at 12:12. Over the final 10 minutes of the half, the lead changed hands six different times and the score was tied four other times. Bradford gave the Chargers their first lead in nearly eight minutes with a pair of free throws with 1:07 on the clock. Pace then closed the half with a 4-2 run to take a 25-23 lead into halftime.

Ayana Duncanson (Elmont, N.Y./Francis Lewis) scored the first basket of the second half and tied the game at 25-25. Pace then took over for the first 10 minutes of the second stanza. A 9-2 run which started at the 16:21 mark pushed the Setters out to their largest lead of the game. Shanice Maynard put in a layup for Pace's 36-29 lead with 11:48 left to play. Bradford and Hayes scored a pair of layups to ignite the Chargers' response. UNH went on a 13-2 run, including three and-one attempts for Hayes, to open up a 42-38 lead at 6:46. New Haven held the lead for the remainder of the game, while playing lockdown defense. A Stone layup with 0.1 seconds left completed a strong 11-1 run by the Chargers in the final five minutes of the matchup.

New Haven returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 19 for its final regular season home game of the season against American International. Game time against the Yellow Jackets is set for 5:30 p.m. at Charger Gymnasium. UNH will recognize its seniors prior to the game in a ceremony honoring them for their dedication throughout their careers. The Chargers then conclude the regular season at Adelphi on Tuesday, Feb. 25 in Garden City, N.Y.