WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Senior Aurora Deshaies (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) and junior Gabrielle Stickle (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) each finished with a baker's dozen 13 points as the New Haven women's basketball team dropped a 55-42 defensive battle against the undefeated Assumption Greyhounds in the final game before holiday break.

Deshaies would close out the game with her sixth double double of the season, pulling down a team best 11 rebounds, while her 13 points came on 6-of-7 shooting. Following her and Stickle in leading the team was graduate guard Camryn DeBose (Wellington, Fla./Wellington Community) and graduate transfer forward Leighanna Lister (Kutztown, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) who each finished with seven points.

As a team, New Haven finished the game shooting 34 percent overall, connecting on 17-of-50 from the field. Among those 17 buckets were a trio of three pointers, all of which came from Stickle, including a halfcourt buzzer beater that sent the teams into the locker room at the halftime break separated by six points.

New Haven will step away from the hardwood for an extended period that includes final exams and the holiday break before returning to action with a New Year's Eve NE10 doubleheader. When the Chargers return to the court on December 31, they will ring in the New Year against Le Moyne in the first part of a doubleheader with the men's team. Opening tip is slated for 1:30 p.m. with all of the action available on the Charger Sports Network, part of NE10 NOW.

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

·         The two teams would trade the first 12 points of the game evenly before New Haven was able to open up a three point, 9-6, lead with 3:42 to play in the first quarter. That lead came courtesy of a drive through the lane from DeBose for the unassisted bucket.

·         The Greyhounds would answer by closing out the quarter scoring six of the final seven points, with the final points of the half coming from Deshaies at the free throw line, providing a 13-10 difference at the buzzer.

SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

·         The Greyhounds would continue that momentum coming out of the short intermission, building their lead to as much as seven with 6:09 remaining.

·         The Chargers responded using the next three minutes to pull within three, but Assumption responded by expanding its lead to the largest of the half, nine, with 39 seconds remaining.

·         After a missed attempt by the Greyhounds with under five seconds remaining, Lister pulled down one of her seven boards, found the outlet to Stickle who took a couple dribbles forward and took an uncontested attempt that went through the hoop as the red lights lit.

THIRD QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

·         New Haven managed to cut its deficit down to six in the early parts of the third quarter, however the Greyhounds answered by taking an 11-point lead twice near the midway point of the period.

·         After a timeout by New Haven to regroup, the Chargers would hold Assumption to just two points over the final five minutes of the period while scoring 11 of their own to pull within a pair, 38-36, at the final intermission.

·         Four different players would score during that quarter ending rally, including a three pointer from Stickle and four points from Lister.

FOURTH QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

·         The Chargers opened up the fourth quarter in the same fashion they ended the third, scoring the first points on a Deshaies layup, knotting the score at 38.

·         New Haven's late third quarter defense would continue, holding Assumption without a field goal for the first six-plus minutes of the period, however during that time they were able to score four points at the free throw line to regain their advantage.

·         After that Deshaies layup to open up the quarter, the Chargers would then go cold from the field, held without a bucket until the 2:44 mark when a Lister second chance layup cut the Assumption lead to 46-40.

·         However, the Greyhounds wouldn't let up, again holding New Haven without a field goal for a two-plus minute stretch as they built their largest lead of the game at 55-40 before a layup from Charlotte Bassett (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) provided the final points of the night.