GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: November 28, 2021 LOCATION: Charger Gymnasium, West Haven, Conn. GAME DAY LINKS LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

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OPENING TIP
The New Haven women's basketball team dropped their second-straight game of the season and their first of the home schedule on Tuesday in a 72-51 loss to NE10 opponent, Pace. The Chargers will stay at home to host the Saint Thomas Aquinas Spartans on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 2:00 PM at Charger Gymnasium.

INSIDE THE SERIES
History has favored the Chargers when these two programs clash, as the Chargers hold a 13-7 record in the all-time series. When hosting the Spartans, New Haven is 9-3 as opposed to an even 4-4 when on the road. Although New Haven leads the all-time series, the Spartans have won the last two games, with the last time being a 41-60 loss for the Chargers on Jan. 8, 2020.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
The Chargers enter Saturday's matchup against the Saint Thomas Aquinas Spartans, looking to get back in the win column and end a two-game skid.

New Haven jumped out to an early 4 point lead in the first quarter but were held to just three of 17 shooting in the second quarter, with two of three baskets coming from the long ball.

The Chargers went 22-57 (38.6%) from the field but were held to 3-12 (25%) shooting from beyond the arc. Despite the score, the Chargers were able to force more turnovers than the Setters, leading to more points off steals.

Camryn DeBose (Wellington, Fla./Wellington Community) once again led the team in scoring with 15 points on 54 percent shooting while adding three rebounds and three steals to her stats.

DeBose currently ranks high amongst scorers in the NE-10 Conference with a team-leading 16.8 points. She also ranks top-15 in the conference with an average of 2.2 steals per game.

Brie Pergola (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) was kept quiet on the scoreboard but was able to produce in other ways for the team, leading the Chargers with seven rebounds and three assists.

Aurora Deshaies (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) and Bianca Pendleton (Accokeek, Md./New Hope Academy) combined for 15 points and seven rebounds in the low post, with the later scoring three points on free throws.

Deshaies's 61 percent shooting is good enough for fourth in the NE10., while her 11.0 average rebounds and 11.8 points per game are also top-15 worthy.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
The Spartans enter the game with a 1-4 record, coming off a 77-67 non-conference loss to the Georgian Court Lions on Tuesday.

Saint Thomas Aquinas saw a total of nine different scorers in the loss to Georgian Court with four players reaching eight or more points but they are led by sophomore guard Julia Reggio, who is averaging 9.7 points a contest on the season. Also in the backcourt for the Spartans is senior guard Victoria Kurisko,the team's second-leading scorer with an average of 8.2 points per game. Sophomore forward Angelique Holguin leads the team with 6.2 boards on average with teammate Chanel Brodeur-Muir right behind her with 5.8.

Saint Thomas Aquinas average 55.4 points per game while allowing opponents to score an average of 65.6. From the field, the Spartans are shooting 32.8 percent but they have had trouble from beyond the arc to start the season, shooting 19.3 percent as a team.

Sarah Ericson is the Spartan's leading scorer from deep, connecting on 30.8 percent of her three-point attempts. She is also the team-leader in assists with an average of 2.8 per game. 

Despite allowing Georgian Court to shoot 50 percent from the field, the Spartans locked down the perimeter, holding the Lions to only 12.5 percent shooting from the arc.
Pace has outrebounded their opponents, 44.2 to 35.6 with an average of 8.6 more boards per game. In their last game, the Spartans were outscored in the paint, 50-36, while also giving up 27 points off of turnovers.

Saint Thomas Aquinas boast a diverse roster comprised of 11 guards and seven forwards. The class makeup is divided into five freshmen, eight sophomores, one junior, and four seniors.

Bill Cleary took over as the head coach of the Saint Thomas Aquinas women's basketball team in September of 2021, after spending five seasons as the head coach of Colgate women's program. On his resume, Cleary has over 250 wins in his coaching career including an impressive streak of leading Bloomsburg to four straight NCAA berths.

NEXT UP
The Chargers will head back on the road but won't be far, as they return to Moore Field House, where they played their season opener, to take on the Owls of Southern Connecticut State in the battle of the Elm City. Tip off for that game is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec 1 at 5:30 PM.