WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team had a 16 rebound advantage and held the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans to just one make from three-point range as the Chargers won a defensive battle 62-53 in a non-conference game on Friday afternoon.
 
With the win, New Haven is now 5-4 while St. Thomas Aquinas falls to 7-3.
 
Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) led the Blue and Gold with 15 points. Quana Smith (Bronx, N.Y./Harry S. Truman) had 14 points and six rebounds with India Dotson (Akron, Ohio/Frederick (Md.) / Monmouth University) matching her career-high with 10 points. Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) led the team with eight rebounds. Jenna Erickson had a game-high 17 points for STAC.
 
After the two teams traded buckets for the first three minutes of the game, the Chargers embarked on a 13-0 run that spanned four-and-a-half minutes to open a 20-5 lead, capped by Smith's second triple of the first period. St. Thomas Aquinas found its legs in the second period, opening on a 19-7 run, slicing the lead to 30-27 with 1:36 remaining before New Haven took a 32-27 lead into halftime.
 
The Chargers got impressive contributions in the second half from the bench. In the third period, Khayla Trowell (Temple Hills, Md./Elizabeth Seton Catholic) scored five of the team's 13 points as New Haven pushed the lead to 45-37 by the end of the frame. In the fourth, Alliyeah Cubbage (North Plainfield, N.J./Roselle Catholic) propelled the Blue and Gold, scoring all of her career-high six points, helping the team maintain its lead as STAC never cut the advantage to less than five points.

For the game, New Haven held a 42-26 advantage in rebounds and held the Spartans to 1-for-14 shooting from beyond the arc. 
 
The Chargers have a quick turnaround as they travel to Lakewood, N.J. on Sunday, Dec. 20 for a 1:00 p.m. non-conference contest against Georgian Court.