WALTHAM, Mass. – The University of New Haven women's basketball team came up short, 50-42 in a defensive struggle on Saturday afternoon at No. 16/21 Bentley. The loss snaps the Chargers (13-5, 6-4 NE10) seven-game winning streak while Bentley improves to 16-2 (10-1 NE10) on the season.

Junior Micah Wormack (Cumberland, Md./Allegany) picked up her third straight double-double with 11 points and tied her season-high with 14 rebounds. Senior Alexandria Kerr (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) scored 13 points and had five rebounds, and freshman Camryn DeBose (Wellington, Fla./Wellington Community) added eight points.

The Chargers held Bentley, the Northeast 10 Conference's highest-scoring team to under 60 points for just the second time all season, but New Haven's 42 points and .321 field goal percentage were both season-lows.

The Chargers defense held Bentley to just 19-of-59 from the field and 10-of-32 from three-point range, but the Falcons controlled the glass by a 42-35 margin. The two teams tied with 16 points each in the paint and Bentley outscored New Haven by one in second chance points, 10-9.

"Our defense played well to hold them to 50 points, but offensively we just missed shots even when we had some open looks," said head coach Deborah Buff. "I thought their physicality hurt us in the zone. I thought our scouting report was on par, but I think sometimes we didn't follow it. We lost to a good team."

FIRST QUARTER

·       Three straight hoops from Kerr and Tally helped the Chargers jump out to an early 6-0 lead, and Kerr added another long jumper outside the paint to make it 8-2.

·       New Haven went up a game-high eight points off a Katia Oge (New City, N.Y./Immaculate Heart Academy) putback to go up 10-2 at the 4:47 mark.

·       Bentley used a 7-0 run to get within 10-9 before Kerr ended the run with a free throw, but Bentley took a 12-11 lead on a three-pointer on their next possession in the final minute, and held the lead after one.   

SECOND QUARTER

·       Wormack hit a jumper in the paint to get the lead back in the opening moments of the second, then added a block on the defensive end.

·       Bentley took the lead for good on its next possession at 15-13 with a three-pointer at 8:42.

·       Both teams went over three minutes before scoring again. DeBose trimmed the lead to one with a three-pointer, and Sydney Richard (Hooksett, N.H./Bradford Christian Academy) got the Chargers back within two with a left wing three with just under two minutes left, but Bentley countered with a second chance long range jumper of their own to make it 24-19 with 1:31 left in the half.

·       New Haven had three chances just ahead of the halftime buzzer to add more points to the board, but couldn't get a shot to fall as Bentley carried a 24-20 lead into halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

·       Brie Pergola (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) got New Haven off on the right foot in the third by swishing home a three from the right wing to get New Haven within one.

·       Bentley built a six-point edge with five unanswered points before DeBose knocked down her second triple to make it 29-27 just shy of the quarter's halfway point.

·       Bentley took its largest lead of the game to that point at 34-26 with a three, prompting a Chargers timeout at 3:05.

·       Wormack used a putback underneath to briefly snap the skid, but Bentley quickly answered with a three to run the score to 37-29 after three quarters.

FOURTH QUARTER

·       Katie Merrigioli started the fourth with a three from the right corner for Bentley, giving them their first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 40-28.

·       DeBose picked the pocket of a Bentley guard in the defensive zone and took it to the rim untouched to get within 40-32 at 7:06, but the Falcons once again erased the mistake immediately by responding with a three to go back up by 11.

·       The Chargers made one last push as Wormack moved into double digits in scoring with four quick points - a putback bucket, then took a pass down low from Pergola in the lane for two more to chip into the deficit at 45-39 with 2:08 left.

·       New Haven would get within seven thanks to a Wormack free throw exactly one minute left, but Bentley extended the lead with their 10th three-pointer of the afternoon to regain a double-digit advantage. Kerr's layup with 25 seconds left would be as close as New Haven would get, falling by eight.

The Chargers will look to rebound on Wednesday in a conference showdown at Merrimack. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on NE10 NOW.