WEST HAVEN, Conn. – A late comeback by the University of New Haven women's basketball team fell a couple of buckets short as the Chargers fell to the Saint Anselm Hawks 61-57 in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Hawks are 13-6 overall with a 9-5 record in the NE-10. New Haven drops to 10-10 with a 6-8 mark in conference.
 
Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) led the Chargers with 18 points to go along with three steals. Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) scored 16 with a season-high six assists. India Dotson (Akron, Ohio/Frederick (Md.) / Monmouth University) Also reached double figures with 10 points as well as a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Both teams started slowly as New Haven held a 10-6 lead at the end of the first period. The next two frames saw Saint Anselm methodically take and build a lead, opening a 49-33 advantage with 8:52 left in the fourth quarter.
 
Trailing 58-45 with 2:28 to go, the Chargers made their move. A layup by Bradford ignited a 7-0 spurt that brought the team within six points at 58-52 on a Khayla Trowell (Temple Hills, Md./Elizabeth Seton Catholic) three-pointer with 55 seconds remaining. After a pair of free throws on the other end, a Bradford trey cut the lead to five. New Haven would sink a basket at the buzzer to cement the final score.
 
For the game, the Blue and Gold outrebounded the Hawks 38-30 including 19-8 on the offensive glass and forced 17 turnovers.
 
The Chargers return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 3 when they host American International in a Northeast-10 Conference game. Tipoff at Chargers Gymnasium is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.