No. 25 New Haven at Merrimack
Saturday, Jan. 31 - 1:00 p.m.
North Andover, Mass. - Volpe Center
Game Coverage: Video | Live Stats
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Tip
New Haven looks to conclude its Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division play with its fourth straight win at Merrimack on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off at the Volpe Center is set for 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
The nationally-ranked No. 25 University of New Haven women's basketball team had five players score in double figures led by a game-high 19 points from Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) in a 79-60 Northeast-10 Conference victory over Southern New Hampshire Thursday, Jan. 29. The Chargers used strong shooting in the second half to pull away from the Penmen down the stretch at Charger Gymnasium.
With the victory, New Haven improvee to 16-3 overall and is 10-3 in the NE-10.
Bradford netted her 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field and tied a career-high by hitting five shots from three-point range. Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) scored 15 points to go along with seven rebounds. Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) contributed with 15 points, nine rebounds and delivered five assists while grabbing three steals. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) and Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) added 12 and 10 points respectively.
Things got off to a rough start for the Chargers as a 4-for-14 start from the floor allowed Southern New Hampshire to build a 21-14 lead with eight minutes to go in the first half. From that point, New Haven went on a 17-7 run to close the half, taking the lead for good on a jumper by Hayes with 2:18 remaining. The senior's efforts keyed the run as Hayes netted 10 points during the span.
In the second half, the Chargers came out firing, hitting 59.4 percent of their shots from the field. Bradford scored 16 of her points in the half, dropping all six of her field goal attempts in the frame including a 4-for-4 performance from three-point range. LeBlanc scored 12 of her points after halftime and Hebert tallied all of her points in the stanza.
For the tilt, the Blue and Gold committed a season-low eight turnovers. The game also marked the third time this season that New Haven placed five players in double-figure scoring matching the Chargers' efforts at St. Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 16 and at Goldey-Beacom on Nov. 29.
Scouting Report
Merrimack enters Saturday's game at 10-7 overall and 6-6 in the NE-10. The Warriors currently stand in third place in the NE-10 Northeast Division, a half game ahead of Assumption. With a complete week off due to the blizzard in New England, Merrimack most recently suffered a 93-74 setback to nationally-ranked Adelphi on Saturday, Jan. 24 in Garden City, N.Y. Merrimack has also lost 4-of-6 since the New Year.
Merrimack has three players averaging double figures scoring with Chloe Rothman leading the way at 14.9 points per game. Aria Johnson adds 12.6 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game, while Caitlyn Garger rounds out the trio with 10.5 per outing.
All-Time Series
Satursday will mark the 14th all-time meeting between New Haven and Merrimack. The Warriors hold an 8-5 lead in the series, but the Chargers hold a one-game winning streak from an 82-70 victory at Charger Gymnasium last week. UNH is 1-3 all-time when traveling to North Andover. Head Coach Ty Grace is 1-0 against the Warriors.
Poll Position
New Haven has been on the cusp of the NCAA Division II Top 25 WBCA Coaches' Poll, receiving votes throughout the season. The Chargers have reached as high as No. 23 in the NCAA Division II Top 25 D2SIDA Media Poll.
Getting Noticed
The New Haven women's basketball team has been recognized by the Northeast-10 Conference in all-but one week this season with four different players honored. Aquillin Hayes has been the conference Player of the Week three times, including the past two weeks (11/17, 1/19, 1/26) and appears on the honor roll five times (11/24, 12/1, 12/8, 1/5, 1/12). Lauren Hebert (12/1, 12/22) and Bria Moore (12/8, 12/22) have been on the weekly honor roll twice and Elizabeth Cruso (1/5) appears on the honor roll once this season.
It's Been A While
In a span of just four days, New Haven ended the two longest losing streaks for the program. The Jan. 21 win against Bentley was the first for the Chargers 17 tries, dating to Dec. 12, 1988. Against Stonehill on Jan. 24, New Haven ended a 21-game losing streak and topped the Skyhawks for the first time since Nov. 27, 1990.
Giant Slayers
New Haven's win against Bentley is the third for New Haven against a defending national champion in school
history. In the 1987 national championship game, the Chargers beat 1986 champion Cal Poly-Pomona 77-75.
and on Jan. 3, 1989, New Haven upended Hampton 68-53.
Up Next
New Haven returns to NE-10 Southwest Division play when it travels to Southern Connecticut State on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Game time is 5:30 p.m. at Moore Field House..
