ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – A big fourth quarter run helped the New Haven women's basketball team pull away from Dominican for a 65-55 non-conference road win on Thursday. The win helps the Chargers tie the second-best start in program history at 9-1, matching that of the 1988-89 squad.
Sophomore
Camryn DeBose (Wellington, Fla./Wellington Community) shot 50 percent from the floor while scoring a team-high 16 points, and freshman
Aurora Deshaies (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) pulled down eight rebounds and scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Junior
Brie Pergola (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) also reached double figures with 13 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.
Trailing by one after three quarters, New Haven scored a game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, and finished the game shooting an even 46.0 percent. The Blue and Gold also converted 25 Dominican turnovers in to 17 points and held a 31-27 edge on the glass.
QUOTES FROM THE COACH: Debbie Buff
"I think we played a better second half. We got into a running game in the first half, but changed up our defense and became more patient in the second half and that helped us settle down."
"Dominican is strong, athletic and pushes the ball as good as anyone, so this is a good win for us going into the break."
"Brie (Pergola) really took over for us there in the fourth quarter, and Cam (DeBose) hit some really big shots for us. She was solid on both sides of the ball."
FIRST QUARTER
- Both teams shot 47 percent overall and 50 percent from three-point range through the opening 10 minutes, resulting in a 19-19 tie after one quarter.
- After trailing for the first half of the opening frame, DeBose drilled a right wing three to give the Chargers their first lead at 13-10 at the 4:15 mark.
- Both sides traded baskets over the final four minutes with Jasmine White (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) putting New Haven up 19-17 with 1:05 to go, only to see Dominican tie it with a layup in the final minute.
SECOND QUARTER
- The Chargers were held scoreless for a stretch of 5:59 spanning the first and second quarters, during which they were outscored 10-0. Sydney Richard (Hooksett, N.H./Bradford Christian Academy) broke the scoreless spell with a layup at the 5:06 mark to get New Haven back within 27-21.
- New Haven drew to within three on two occasions, capped by a reverse layup from Kim Talley (Quakertown, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) with 10 seconds left to get the score within 32-29 at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
- Dominican started the second half strong by connecting on three of their first five three-point attempts to build a 43-35 lead at the 6:21 mark.
- Both teams hit snags offensively, each going over four minutes without scoring a basket before Bionca Chambers (Bronx, N.Y./New Milford) ended New Haven's 4:42 scoreless streak with a pair of free throws, then grabbed a steal and hit a jumper with 2:46 remaining to once again get New Haven back within four at 43-39.
- DeBose rained in her second three of the game off a turnover, then Aliyah Wright (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central) used a pair of free throws to help the Chargers score five straight end the third and pull within one point, 45-44 heading to the fourth.
FOURTH QUARTER
- The Chargers outscored Dominican 21-10 over the final quarter, rattling off the first five points of the fourth to extend their run to 10-0 and build a 49-45 lead by the 8:19 mark
- DeBose used her own putback to give the Chargers the lead just eight seconds into the period, and later added two from the free throw line as part of the run.
- Pergola helped put the game out of reach, scoring nine unanswered points by herself to give New Haven a game-high 62-51 lead with 1:01 left. She later added two free throws to help score 11 of the Chargers final 12 points.
New Haven will return to action at home after the New Year with a non-conference game against Goldey-Beacom on January 2 at 5:30 p.m.
