PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – A slow start proved to be too much for the New Haven women's basketball team to overcome as the Chargers suffered their first loss of the season at Pace on Tuesday, 55-45. The Chargers now sit at 4-1 (1-1 NE10) on the season, while Pace moves to 6-1 (2-0 NE10).

Senior Micah Wormack (Cumberland, Md./Allegany) led New Haven with 18 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go with three steals and two blocks. She recorded her 100th career block in the game, becoming just the fourth player in school history to reach the milestone. Junior Brie Pergola (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) scored nine points, and redshirt sophomore Luzdali  Ocasio dished out six assists.

A strong defensive effort in the second half helped the Chargers (44.7 percent) outshoot Pace (41.3 percent) in the game, and the Chargers turned the ball over a season-low 16 times while forcing 18 Pace turnovers. After Pace shot over 63 percent in the opening half, New Haven held the Setters to just 5-for-24 from the field in the second half.

QUOTES FROM THE COACH: Debbie Buff

• "I thought we started really slow, and you cannot afford to do that on the road against a good team. I thought we played pretty well over the final three quarters and came out in the second half and played the way we are capable. I'm proud of the effort in the second half and that we battled back to make it a game. We're a young team and have to keep getting better every day."

FIRST QUARTER

• Pace surged out of the gate by hitting 10 of their 12 field goal attempts in the opening quarter, including four three-pointers to surge to a 26-9 lead.
• Aurora Deshaies (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) and Wormack gave New Haven a 4-3 lead with consecutive layups early before the Setters scored six straight to take a 9-4 lead, prompting a New Haven timeout at 5:48.
• Pace extended the run to 8-0 before Pergola knocked down a three from straightaway to make it 11-7.
• After Ocasio found Wormack down low for a short jumper to make it 16-9, Pace closed the period on a 10-0 run, and scored 23 of the last 28 points overall to hold a 26-9 lead after one.

SECOND QUARTER

• Pergola and Deshaies opened the scoring with buckets to start the second as New Haven held Pace scoreless for over four minutes to get within 26-13 at the 5:55 mark.
• Pace scored six of the next eight points before Bionca Chambers (Bronx, N.Y./New Milford) hit a jumper and Jasmine White (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) used a layup with just over two minutes remaining to make it 33-19.
• Pace used their fifth three-pointer of the opening half and a free throw to score the last four points of the half and take a 37-19 lead into the locker room.

Pace finished the first half shooting 63.6 percent from the field and was 5-for-7 from the arc. New Haven connected on five of their eight field goals in the second quarter.
 
THIRD QUARTER

• Pace grew the lead to a game-high 19 points by the 4:54 mark of the third quarter.
• New Haven then surged out to a 10-0 run to close the quarter and get it back to single digits.
• Wormack scored eight points during the run while White added a jumper off an Ocasio helper to cut the deficit down to 45-36 with 28 seconds left in the quarter.
• Overall, New Haven held Pace scoreless over final 4:54 of the frame while shooting 8-for-17 and holding the Setters to just 3-for-13.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Pace's used a pair of free throws at the 8:52 mark to end their scoring drought, which lasted just over six minutes.
• Chambers ended a 5-0 Pace run at 6:43 with a jumper, and Pergola connected on her second triple of the game with 5:47 left to get it back to nine once again, 50-41, but New Haven would get no closer as Pace hit five of their six attempts from the free throw line to help hold off the Chargers' run.

New Haven will have seven days off before their next matchup at home on December 4 when they host crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State at 5:30 p.m.