No. 23 New Haven vs. Franklin Pierce
Saturday, March 14 - 5:00 p.m.
NCAA East Region Championship Semifinals
Garden City, N.Y. - Center for Recreation and Sports
Game Coverage: Video | Live Stats
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Region Championship Information
Opening Tip
Following a First Round win against Philadelphia University, No. 23 New Haven continues its championship season as the second-seeded team in the East Region when it takes on sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce in the NCAA Division II East Region Championship semifinals on Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
The second-seeded University of New Haven women's basketball team won its first NCAA Division II Championship game since 1989 as the Chargers downed the seventh-seeded Philadelphia University Rams 69-55 on Friday afternoon.
Leading the way for the Chargers was Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) who netted a game-high 21 points. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) notched her 11th double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) scored eight points and pulled in a season high 13 rebounds. As a team, New Haven held a 50-36 advantage on the boards.
The Chargers got off to a good start early as they hit three of their first four shots, two by Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) to take an early 8-2 lead. After a couple baskets by Philadelphia drew things closer, back-to-back triples by Bradford extended the New Haven lead to 18-8 with 11:05 remaining in the opening frame. The Rams battled and sliced the lead to seven on two occasions, but the Chargers maintained their advantage, taking a 36-25 lead into halftime.
A big part of New Haven's success in the first half was its ability to rebound the ball, holding a 29-19 edge on the glass in the stanza.
The second half started much the same way for the Chargers, who netted the first six points on baskets by Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career), Hayes and LeBlanc, extending the lead to 42-25 just 83 seconds into the frame.
New Haven continued to expand the lead throughout the second half, pushing the lead to as many as 21 points at 58-39 on a pair of free throws by Stone with just more than nine minutes remaining.
Scouting Report
Sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce enters play with a 19-10 record overall and is coming off a first round upset of third-seeded University of District of Columbia 78-66 on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the East Region Championship.
The Ravens are led by Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team performer Kara Charette who is scoring 17.2 points per game to go along with 6.7 rebounds a night. Jessica Hurd nets 12.3 points per contest and leads Franklin Pierce with 8.3 boards a tilt. Natalie Bastian is third on the team in scoring with 10.2 points per game. All three scored at least 19 points in the win against UDC.
Jennifer Leedham is in her third season as coach of Franklin Pierce following an outstanding playing career with the Ravens. She scored 778 points in her career and finished tied for second all-time at FPU with 522 assists, while helping to lead Franklin Pierce to the Elite 8 in 2008 and the NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2009.
All-Time Series
New Haven is 18-30 all-time against its former NECC foe. The Chargers fell at the buzzer to FPU 62-59 on January 17 in Rindge, N.H. Head Coach Ty Grace is 1-1 in her career against the Ravens.
Tournament Update
Friday saw a pair of upsets including eighth-seeded Holy Family building a 16-point second half lead against Adelphi before holding on for an 84-79 victory to send the hosts out of the tournament. It is the first time in the East Region during the 64-team era that an eight seed upset the region's top seed. Jill Conroy led the Tigers with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
In the evening session's other game, fourth-seeded Stonehill took care of fifth-seeded Queens (N.Y.) 80-66. Shannon Brown paced the Skyhawks with 18 points, hitting all seven of her field goal attempts including a trio of three-pointers.
Sixth-seeded Franklin Pierce saw Natalie Bastian hit a career-high six three-pointers as the Ravens dispatched third-seeded University of District of Columbia 78-66. Kara Charette had a game-high 23 points while Jessica Hurd added 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Rank And File
With its entry into the top-25 on Feb. 24, New Haven made its first appearance in the USA Today/WBCA NCAA Division II poll since Feb. 26, 1989. It currently ranks No. 23 in the poll released on 3/10/15.
Lining It Up
The Chargers have excelled at the free throw line down the stretch and into the postseason. During the last 11 games, they have hit 77.9 percent at the charity stripe, raising their team total to 72.9 percent overall, the fourth highest in the NE-10. Not only has New Haven earned an 9-2 record during the span, but it has averaged 19.5 points per game at the line since Jan. 29. The Chargers made all eight of their free throw attempts in their first round game against Philadelphia.
Party Like It's 1989
New Haven earned its first NCAA Division II Championship win since a 94-71 victory against Bryant in the New England Regional in 1989. The Chargers had dropped their last five NCAA Championship games including one-and-done appearances in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2014.
Earning Their Rewards
New Haven senior guard Aquillin Hayes was named both the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as voted upon by the NE-10's 15 coaches, just the third time a player has accomplished the feat. Additionally, Briana Bradford and Bria Moore were selected as All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Changing The Culture
The senior quintet of Elizabeth Cruso, Aquillin Hayes, Ashley LeBlanc, Bria Moore and Rykema Stone have led the revitalization of the New Haven women's basketball program. They have improved from 3-24 as freshmen to 24-5 as seniors. The 21-win improvement is the largest four-year turnaround in NE-10 history, surpassing the 2000-01 Merrimack women's basketball team that went 12-15 before elevating to a 31-4 record and an appearance in the NCAA Semifinals in 2003-04.
Up Next
The winner of the New Haven-Franklin Pierce game will face the winner between fourth-seeded Stonehill and eighth-seeded Holy Family in the Regional Final on Monday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m.
