No. 21 New Haven vs. American International
Friday, March 6 - 7:00 p.m.
Northeast-10 Conference Championship Semifinal
West Haven, Conn. - Charger Gymnasium
Game Coverage: Video | Live Stats |
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Tip
No. 21 New Haven continues its championship season when it hosts Southwest Division fourth-seed American International in a Northeast-10 Conference Championship Semifinal on Friday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
The nationally-ranked No. 21 University of New Haven women's basketball team saw a 17-point halftime lead cut to three in the second half, but rallied to claim a 72-48 win against the Assumption Greyhounds in a Northeast-10 Conference Championship Quarterfinal on Sunday afternoon at Charger Gymnasium.
New Haven was led by Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) who had 23 points. Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) added 12 points. Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) had eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) and Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) each scored nine points off the bench with Bradford pulling in a season-best seven rebounds.
Jaclyn Storey led Assumption with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
A slow start for the Chargers saw the Greyhounds take an early 5-4 lead three-and-a-half minutes into the contest. From there, New Haven went on a tear, scoring 28 of the next 33 points in a stretch of just more than 14 minutes to take a 32-9 lead with 3:33 remaining in the half. As much as the scoring, defense was keyed the run as New Haven held Assumption without a field goal for 12:12 and forced seven turnovers during the spurt.
The Greyhounds did not go quietly, cutting the lead to nine at 42-33 in less than five minutes. Assumption continued to chip into the lead during the next six minutes as a jumper by Shayla Hubbard cut the New Haven advantage to 49-46 with 9:01 remaining. The two teams played nearly evenly over until the 6:47 mark when a pair of free throws by Moore and one by Bradford pushed the lead back to 54-48 with 6:38 left. The Chargers continued to push the tempo, ending the game on a 19-0 run, pulling away for the final margin.
Scouting Report
American International enters play with a record of 17-13. The Yellow Jackets are playing their third game in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. After defeating Saint Michael's 52-43 in the first round, AIC upset Northeast Division top-seed No. 12 Stonehill, 73-64 in overtime.
Senior forward Krista Ferrentino leads the way for the Yellow Jackets at 15.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Junior guard Briana Bishop is scoring 11.7 per night. Senior guard Alyssa Roach comes in just shy of double-figure scoring with 9.8 points per game.
Defense is the calling card for American International, leading the conference with 59.4 points allowed per game. It is second only to New Haven in both rebound margin and defensive three-point percentage.
AIC alumna Kristen Hutchison is in her eighth season as the head coach at her alma mater and has compiled a record of 130-103 during her tenure. As a player, Hutchison scored 1,539 points and remains the Yellow Jackets all-time leader in assists (557) and free throws (511).
All-Time Series
The Chargers hold a slim 16-14 lead in the all-time series and have won three games in a row, including both meetings this season against the Yellow Jackets. Head Coach Ty Grace is 3-1 in her career against AIC.
Down To The Wire
New Haven and American International will face off for the third time this season on Thursday night. The previous two contests have been very tight affairs with the Chargers winning both by a combined eight points. AIC has held late leads in both games, leading by as many as nine and holding the advantage with 1:39 remaining on Nov. 25 before New Haven rallied for a 62-60 win. On Feb. 18, the Chargers trailed by 14 with 10:27 to go before scoring 32 of the final 48 points, eventually taking the lead on a three-pointer by Bria Moore at the 1:40 mark before pulling away for the 66-60 victory.
Rank And File
With its entry into the top-25 last week, New Haven made its first appearance in the USA Today/WBCA NCAA Division II poll since Feb. 26, 1989.
Lining It Up
The Chargers have excelled at the free throw line down the stretch and into the postseason. During the last nine games, they have hit 78.3 percent at the charity stripe, raising their team total to 72.8 percent overall, the fourth highest in the NE-10. Not only has New Haven earned an 8-1 record during the span, but it has averaged 21.2 points per game at the line since Jan. 29.
Tasting Postseason Success
The win against Assumption was the first postseason triumph for the Chargers since Feb. 28, 2010 when the eighth-seeded Chargers were victorious in a Northeast-10 Conference Championship First Round game against ninth-seed Southern Connecticut State, 81-65. Nicole Pollard (Swansea, Mass./Joseph Case ) led New Haven with 22 points while Dominique Stellmacher (New Britain, Conn./New Britain ) added 18 points and six rebounds.
Earning Their Rewards
New Haven senior guard Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) 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. She was also voted as one of two unanimous selections to the All-Conference First Team (Tori Faieta - Stonehill). It is the third time that a player has been honored with both awards in the same season and the first time since Wanda Maynard-Morris from Pace in 2001-02. Additionally, Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) and Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) were selected as All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Changing The Culture
The senior quintet of Elizabeth Cruso (Westerly, R.I./Westerly), Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy), Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass./Methuen), Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) and Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) have led the revitalization of the New Haven women's basketball program. They have improved from 3-24 as freshmen to 23-4 as seniors. The 20-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-American International game will take on the winner of the semifinal between Adelphi and Franklin Pierce. Regardless of which team wins Thursday, the Chargers or the Yellow Jackets will be on the road for the championship game, which will take place on Sunday, March 8 at 1:00 p.m.
