PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Junior Alexandria Kerr (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) hit the game-winning three off a pass from freshman Brie Pergola (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) with 2.5 seconds on the clock as the University of New Haven women's basketball team (6-6, 2-5 NE10) knocked off Saint Anselm (8-7, 4-4 NE10), 57-54 in the first game of the 2018 calendar year. The game also served as the sixth annual "Class at the Court" game for the Chargers, where over 450 West Haven fourth graders were in attendance for the matchup.
 
New Haven took the a two-point lead with a free throw by Pergola with 37 seconds left in the final frame, however the Hawks knotted up the score at 54 with a layup by Shannon Ryan on the inside lane, forcing a New Haven time out with 22.2 seconds remaining. After the break, Pergola carried the ball up and waited until seven seconds to drive, was double teamed down low, and threw a hard pass to a wide open Kerr who put in the three from the right wing with only 2.5 seconds remaining.
 
Senior Khayla Trowell (Temple Hills, Md./Elizabeth Seton Catholic) was the leading scorer for New Haven for the first time this season, matching her career high of 15 points on 42-percent (5-12) shooting from the floor. Kerr finished just behind Trowell with 14 points and had two of New Haven's four three-pointers on the day. Junior Allieyah Cubbage (North Plainfield, N.J./Roselle Catholic) rounded out the double-digit scorers with a 5-of-8 clip from field goal range for 10 total points.
 
Kerr was the leading rebounder for the Chargers with seven, and also registered a team-high four steals and was second in assists with three. Pergola finished the day with seven points and had the helping hand in the win with five assists, just one shy of her season-high.
 
Limiting fouls and free throw opportunities for the Hawks was very helpful in the win for New Haven, as Saint Anselm shot and made only two free throws on the day, while New Haven converted on 11-of-14 attempts from the line.
 
FIRST QUARTER NOTES:

• The Chargers and Hawks exchanged two buckets each in the first two minutes before hitting three straight shots from beyond the arc to gain a five-point lead over New Haven.
• Trowell went on a tangent late in the first, scoring eight straight points including the only three-pointer of the stanza to help New Haven gain a three-point lead.  
• Trowell went on to finish the first quarter already in double digits in scoring and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, 1-of-1 from long range and 1-of-1 from the stripe.

 
SECOND QUARTER NOTES:

• Both teams were strong defensively in the second quarter, holding each other to only five field goals and without a three-pointer.
• The Chargers outscored the Hawks only 11-10, with Cubbage shooting 2-of-2 from the floor.
• Sophomore Micah Wormack (Cumberland, Md./Allegany) had the ball at the top of the key with a minute remaining, looked around for an open teammate, but ended up taking the long jump shot herself to put the Chargers halftime lead at 31-27.

 
THIRD QUARTER NOTES:

• Saint Anselm charged back to start off the half, tying the game with two field goals to level the game at 31. The Hawks kept the 13-3 run going all the way until just under one minute before Kerr sunk a three-ball off a pass from Pergola to cut the visitor lead to three.
• Saint Anselm, who had their largest lead of the game by as many as six points, outscored the Chargers 15-8 in the third as New Haven struggled to find the touch, registering only a 3-of-17 mark from the field.  

 
FOURTH QUARTER NOTES:

• Junior Sianna Van Dyke (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) got her first two points of the game, collecting a pass from Kerr nearly midway through the fourth quarter to even the score at 44.
• With a nine-second differential on the shot clock, Ryan's layup fell through for the sixth tie of the quarter after collecting a bounce pass from Clairee Putnam. Pergola would then carry the ball up and wait for the correct time to drive before dishing the ball back out to Kerr who nailed the game-winning three.
• Free throw shooting was the difference maker in the fourth quarter as New Haven sunk nine of their 12 free throws while Saint Anselm made both of their only two opportunities in the quarter and game.
• Kerr's game-winning three marks the junior at 777 points for her career, closing in on the 800-point milestone.

 
Now on a three-game winning streak, the Chargers look to continue the pattern for two-straight conference road games, first at Assumption on Saturday, January 6^th for a 1:30 pm tip-off. The Chargers then turn back around and head north to Saint Michael's on January 9^th for a 1:30 pm contest.