No. 23 New Haven vs. No. 13 Stonehill
Monday, March 16 - 7:00 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
No. 23 New Haven makes its first appearance in a Regional Final since 1989 when it faces No. 13 Stonehill for the NCAA Division II East Region Championship on Monday night at 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the nationally-ranked No. 23 University of New Haven women's basketball team to a 69-59 victory over Franklin Pierce in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Region Championship. Senior Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) added 15 points and five rebounds as the Chargers advanced to their first region championship final since 1989 and the fourth in program history.
New Haven last advanced the sweet 16 in 1989, the last of three consecutive trips to the regional final. The Chargers won back-to-back regional championships in 1987 and 1988.
Hayes went 6-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe for her 18 points. The senior grabbed nine defensive and three offensive boards in her 12th double-double of the season. She added three assists, two steals and a block while never leaving the floor. LeBlanc went 2-for-4 from the field, but capitalized at the foul line, making 11-of-12 attempts. She also grabbed five rebounds, an assist and a block. Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) was the final Charger in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds. Elizabeth Cruso (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) finished with nine points and Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) netted eight.
The Chargers took care of the ball in the win, turning the ball over a season-low eight times. The Chargers trailed 40-39 in rebounds and 37.5 percent to 38.3 percent in field goal shooting. New Haven went 0-for-5 from three-point range, but made the difference at the foul line making 27-of-31 attempts.
New Haven struggled in the first half and fell behind after the first eight minutes. Franklin Pierce went on a 6-0 run and led 21-13 at the 9:24 mark. The Ravens held the lead for the remainder of the first half and led 31-29 at halftime.
The Chargers used halftime adjustments to swing momentum in their favor in the second half. UNH scored the first basket of the stanza and the game was still tied at 35-35 five minutes in. A pair of LeBlanc free throws at the 12:02 mark put UNH ahead 43-38, but Franklin Pierce answered with a 4-0 run. After surrendering the lead for a minute, New Haven would take the lead for good on a LeBlanc jumper with 7:25 left. The basket was part of a 14-2 run for the Chargers who opened a 61-49 lead with 2:53 remaining. New Haven converted free throws in the final minutes as Franklin Pierce attempted to chip away at the lead to secure the victory.
Scouting Report
Fourth-seeded Stonehill enters play with a 24-4 record overall and is coming off a 67-60 win against eighth-seeded Holy Family in the East Region Semifinals on Saturday night.
The Skyhawks are led by Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team performer Tori Faieta who averages 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.4 percent from the field. Kelly Martin is second on the team with 13.8 points a contest. Amy Pelletier and Paige Marshall round out a quartet of players who average double figures in scoring, tallying 10.5 and 10.2 per game respectively.
Trisha Brown is in her 14th season as the head coach of the women's basketball team. During that time, the three-time NE-10 Coach of the Year has accumulated a record of 288-128 (.692) and has taken her team to the NCAA Tournament 10 times.
All-Time Series
New Haven is 6-24 all-time against Stonehill, but snapped a 21-game losing streak to the Skyhawks on January 24 with a thrilling 72-71 victory at Charger Gymnasium. Prior to that, the last victory for New Haven against Stonehill came on Nov. 27, 1990 when Stonehill teams were known as the Chieftains.
Tournament Update
Fourth-seeded Stonehill faced a stern test from eighth-seeded Holy Family before prevailing 67-60 on Saturday night. Amy Pelletier netted 19 points while Tori Faieta tallied 18 and added five blocks as the Skyhawks had to rally from an early second half deficit to advance to the final.
Welcome to the Club
Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) scored her 1,000th career point with her first basket of the game against Franklin Pierce. She joins Aquillin Hayes (1,339) and Bria Moore (1,233) as active members of the 1,000-point club.
Lining It Up
The Chargers have excelled at the free throw line down the stretch and into the postseason. During the last 12 games, they have hit 78.8 percent at the charity stripe, raising their team total to 73.5 percent overall. Not only has New Haven earned an 10-2 record during the span, but it has averaged 20.2 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 before hitting 27-of-31 attempts against Franklin Pierce.
Party Like It's 1989
The Chargers are appearing in their first Regional Final since 1989 when they took on Bentley for the New England Regional Championship. The win against Philadelphia in the first round earned New Haven its first NCAA Division II Championship win since the 1989 tournament when it beat Bryant 94-71.
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 25-5 as seniors. The 22-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-Stonehill game advances to the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 24 where it will face the winner of the West Region Championship between Cal Baptist and Cal Poly Pomona.
