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WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Three players finished in double digit scoring for the University of New Haven women's basketball team as the Chargers held off the Adelphi Panthers, 58-44, in Northeast-10 Conference action at Charger Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
For the fourth-straight game, New Haven was led by junior
Alexandria Kerr (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) who dropped a team-high 17 points on 40-percent shooting, her 11
th game of the last 12 in double figure scoring. Kerr also pulled down five rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists and four steals. A key player for the Chargers on the afternoon was sophomore
Micah Wormack (Cumberland, Md./Allegany) who scored 16 points on 55-percent (6-of-11) shooting and also grabbed nine rebounds and had three steals. Freshman
Brie Pergola (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) was the third-leading scorer with 11 points and also finished the game with two rebounds, two steals and two assists. Also playing a vital role in the Charger victory was junior
Sianna Van Dyke (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) who corralled a career-high seven rebounds.
As a team, New Haven shot well from the field (41-percent), although the key to success was their defensive effort, holding Adelphi to 27-percent shooting and 3-of-24 from beyond the arc. The defense also stepped up to hold Adelphi to their lowest scoring output of the season, only four different Panthers to score, but
Simone Hobdy came away as the leader with a game-high 20 points.
FIRST QUARTER NOTES:
- The best defensive output for the Chargers came in the first ten minutes of action, as Adelphi went ice cold from the floor, missing their first 11 field goal attempts in the game, shooting 1-of-12 from the field and 0-of-5 beyond the arc.
- New Haven jumped out to a 4-0 lead as Trowell put in a layup assisted by Kerr and Pergola hit a jump shot with just under the midway point.
- New Haven struggled to get things going from the field as well, but Wormack shot 2-of-3 in the frame and also went 3-of-4 from the stripe for seven points and four rebounds despite only playing six minutes to open up the game.
- Senior Quana Smith (Bronx, N.Y./Harry S. Truman) tallied three rebounds in the first quarter, and would go on to add one more in the second frame.
SECOND QUARTER NOTES:
- The second quarter was much more even for both teams, however Adelphi outscored the Chargers in the second quarter, 12-11.
- To begin the second quarter, Kerr converted on a three-point play to gain a nine-point edge over the Panthers, before Adelphi score five-straight points to trim the Charger lead. New Haven answered with five more points as Wormack hit a layup and free throw and Talley added another layup, but Adelphi once again answered scoring four straight points.
- Kerr added a layup with 2:11 remaining before Adelphi hit the game's first three-pointer as New Haven led, 22-17 at the intermission.
- Wormack had reached double digits by halftime, leading the Chargers with 10 points while shooting 50-percent from the field with five rebounds.
THIRD QUARTER NOTES:
- New Haven picked up momentum out of the locker room, outscoring the Panthers 17-13 in the third quarter. Kerr hit a three-pointer just 17 seconds in, assisted by Smith which extended the Charger lead to eight. Adelphi didn't give in, going on a 9-0 run to give the Panthers their first lead of the game, 26-25.
- Sophomore Kim Talley (Quakertown, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) tied things up with a free throw a minute and a half later, before Pergola dished out a pass to Kerr for another successful shot from deep to spark the offense.
- The Chargers closed out the quarter on a 10-4 run, limiting Adelphi to only two field goals in 4:19, both made by Fallyn Stephens to tie the largest lead of the game for the third time at nine points.
FOURTH QUARTER NOTES:
- For the fourth-straight quarter, New Haven put points on the board first as Wormack hit a jump shot assisted by Kerr to reach the largest Charger lead of the game (11 points), but it was Adelphi who stormed back with a 12-2 run to pull themselves back within one point.
- Van Dyke and Wormack each put in a shot for added support, but New Haven closed out the game on an 11-0 run, beginning with a Kerr layup and Pergola three-pointer before scoring six-straight free throws down the stretch.
- New Haven scored 19 points in the second quarter, the most in a quarter since scoring 23 points in the third frame against Franklin Pierce on January 23rd.
With the win, the Chargers remain in playoff contention and improve to 9-12 on the season and 5-11 in the NE10. Adelphi dropped their third straight game and falls to 11-13 overall and 7-9 in NE10 play. Next on tap for the Blue and Gold is another home meeting against Pace on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Tip-off at Charger Gymnasium is slated for 5:30 pm. For fans who are unable to attend, live stats and video will be available on the Charger Sports Network.
