BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

SENIOR NIGHT PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team overcame a 12-point deficit in the first half and pulled away from visiting American International after the intermission to take an 82-69 decision. Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) scored a game-high 21 points, and Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) posted 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Chargers.
 
With the win, New Haven improves to 17-8 overall and 12-7 in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Chargers clinched the No. 2 seed in the NE-10 Southwest Division, marking the second consecutive season that New Haven has earned a first round bye in the NE-10 Championship and the first time in six seasons as a member of the conference that the Blue and Gold will host a quarterfinal.
 
Bradford knocked down three three-pointer en route to her fifth 20-point performance of the season. Hayes went 8-for-14 from the floor, complementing her 11th double-double of the winter with four steals, three assists and two blocked shots.
 
On Senior Night at Charger Gymnasium, Audrey Cunningham (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) added a season-best 12 points. Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) scored nine points, and Ayana Duncanson (Elmont, N.Y./Francis Lewis) added eight. Rounding out the scoring were Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) with five points, four apiece from Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) and Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) and three from Jasmine Gibson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Spring Valley).
 
As a unit, the Blue and Gold shot 28-for-60 (46.7 percent) from the field, 6-for-15 (40 percent) from three-point range and 20-for-27 (74.1 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Led by Hayes' game-high 15 boards, the Chargers owned a 41-35 advantage on the glass, with all 13 of New Haven's offensive rebounds coming in the second half. Duncanson collected seven rips and Moore corralled four. The Chargers committed 14 turnovers and forced 17 American International miscues.
 
Kamika Mason led the Yellow Jackets with 16 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. AIC shot 22-for-58 (37.9 percent) from the floor, 6-for-15 (40 percent) from beyond the arc and 19-for-25 (76 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
The visitors made the game's first run with an 8-0 spurt to claim an early 11-4 lead. The margin grew to 12 at 21-9 with 10:37 remaining in the first frame.  After a New Haven timeout, Bradford knocked down a trey to start the Chargers' comeback.  Following a bucket each way, another Bradford triple sparked a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 23-21. American International was able to rebuild a lead as large as seven points, but Hayes took a rebound coast-to-coast for a layup on back-to-back possessions and Bradford capped the period with another three-pointer to send New Haven into the locker room with a 37-34 lead.
 
The Chargers committed nine turnovers in the first half and did not grab an offensive board – compared to six AIC offensive rips that led to 10 points. However, New Haven shot 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) from the field and 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from three-point range to enter the intermission with a three-point advantage. Bradford had nine points on 3-for-3 shooting of beyond the arc over the opening 20 minutes of action.
 
AIC's Sarah Noble started the second-half scoring with a three-pointer to tie the game, and Duncanson answered with a three-point play to stake New Haven to a lead that it would not relinquish. The Chargers offense continued to put points on the board, extending the cushion into double figures for the majority of the second period. A 12-for-15 performance from the free throw line over the final two minutes put the finishing touches on an 82-69 victory.

New Haven's 82 points matched a season high established on Feb. 1 in an 82-70 win over Merrimack.
 
In addition to clinching the second seed in the NE-10 Southwest, the Chargers have also reached their highest overall win total (17) since joining the conference beginning in 2008-09 and secured the team's best-ever NE-10 winning percentage.
 
New Haven wraps up the regular season on Tuesday, Feb. 25 with a trip to Adelphi. The Panthers edged the Chargers, 84-81, in the first meeting on Dec. 7 in West Haven.
 
The Chargers' opponent remains to be determined for a Northeast-10 Championship Quarterfinal on Sunday, March 2 at Charger Gymnasium. Details will be announced on NewHavenChargers.com as they are finalized by the conference office.