BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team shrank a 12-point deficit to just two with less than one minute to go, but visiting Assumption held on to escape Charger Gymnasium with a 61-58 win in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) and Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) each posted 17 points and eight rebounds for the Chargers.
 
After the postseason contest, New Haven and Assumption both stand at 18-9. The Greyhounds will visit unbeaten No. 1 Bentley on Thursday for an NE-10 Semifinal contest.
 
Hayes, the Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year and a Second Team All-NE-10 pick, shot 6-for-10 from the field and added three assists, four blocked shots and a steal. Bradford knocked down two three-pointers en route to her 17 points.

Collectively the Chargers shot 20-for-57 (35.1 percent) from the field, 2-for-10 (20 percent) from three-point range and 16-for-22 (72.7 percent) from the free throw line.

Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) also netted double figures with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds, six of which came from the offensive glass.
 
The Chargers stifled the Greyhounds defensively, holding the visitors to 19-for-54 (35.2 percent) shooting from the floor and 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) from beyond the arc. However, Assumption held a 43-35 advantage on the glass and turned 15 offensive rips into 17 second-chance points. The Blue and Gold gained an edge in turnovers, committing 15 while forcing 17.
 
Individually, Second Team All-NE-10 performer Shannon Ray scored a game-high 21 points for the Greyhounds, while Jamie Insel added a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.
 
The lone tie of the afternoon came at the 13:28 mark of the first half as a pair Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) free throws pulled the Chargers even at 13-13. However, New Haven then endured a stretch of 8:14 without a point (8:39 without a field goal) that allowed the Greyhounds to creep into a double-digit lead at 24-13 with under six minutes to go in the period. New Haven scored five of the half's final seven points to head to the locker room facing a 26-18 deficit.
 
The Assumption lead grew as large as 12 points in the second half at 39-27 on two Tafanie Roye free throws with 21:51 to play. A Moore layup on the ensuing Chargers' possession started a 6-0 run to cut the margin in half. But despite going without a field goal over a span of 5:03, the Greyhounds shot 7-for-8 from the stripe during the drought to stay on top. A Ray three-pointer on a possession that featured four offensive rebounds ended the stretch and reclaim a nine-point edge at 47-39 with 8:21 remaining, but the Chargers had one more run in them with time ticking away.
 
A Hayes layup and Bradford trey trimmed the margin to four points and, after an Assumption free throw, another Hayes basket had the Chargers within one possession at 50-47. The Greyhounds would score six of the next eight to rebuild their edge and held a 56-51 lead with 2:34 to go. As New Haven picked up its defensive pressure, a turnover led to a Bradford fast break. The sophomore finished with contact and completed the three-point play to pull the Chargers within two at 56-54 with 1:52 to go. After an Insel basket, Hayes answered with a jumper and the full-court press forced an errant pass to give New Haven possession with a chance to tie or take the lead and less than one minute to play. However, the Chargers came up empty on the trip, and Assumption used the entire shot clock before a Ray basket ran the margin to 60-56 with just 18 seconds left. New Haven was again unable to score on its next possession and, after a free throw, a Bradford layup at the horn proved meaningless in a 61-58 defeat.
 
Ranked No. 8 in the most recent NCAA East Region Rankings, the Chargers will now await the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 9. More information will be posted on NewHavenChargers.com as it is made available.