GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: January 18, 2022
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LOCATION: Dana Center
Waltham, Mass. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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WHAT'S ON TAP
After snapping its five-game skid last time out against a quality Southern Connecticut State University, the women's basketball team heads back on the road to face conference leading Bentley Falcons on Wednesday night.
SCOUTING NEW HAVEN
Looking for back-to-back victories, New Haven needs to rely on a defense that is holding opponents to just 60.7 points per game, while keeping confidence in their shooting ability that is currently 22nd best in the nation as they are connecting on 44.7 percent of their attempts. Leading the efforts is graduate guard Camryn DeBose (Wellington, Fla./Wellington Community) who is averaging 16.6 points per game, third in the NE10, including a career-high 30 points in the season opener against Georgian Court. Her co-captain Aurora Deshaies (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) has both offense and defense on her mind as she is second on the team averaging 13.7 ppg, while one of two players in the NE10 who is averaging a double double as she is pulling down 10.2 rebounds per outing, second best in the NE10. In addition, Deshaies leads all NE10 players and is fourth in the nation with her 66% shooting percentage (86-of-131) with all of her points coming from inside the three-point arc. Rounding out the leading scorers for the Blue and Gold is senior point guard Kameryn King (Old Saybrook, Conn./Mercy) who is averaging 10.4 ppg, while leading the team with 63 assists, with her 4.9 assists per game average second best in the conference. Defensively, it is senior guard Marigona Bacaliu (Worcester, Mass./Putnam Science Academy) who leads the team with 28 steals, while New Haven has 122 on the year and has turned the 213 turnovers they have forced into 200 points, including 25+ in two games, against Bloomfield (29) and Franklin Pierce (28).
SCOUTING BENTLEY
Winners of their last six games, the Falcons are one of the top defensive teams in the nation, holding opponents to 53.5 points per game, seventh best in all of NCAA Division II. Their most recent game is a true testament to that defensive success, holding Saint Michael's to just 27 points in 40 minutes of action. Offensively, the Falcons are outscoring their opponents by just shy of 14 points per game, while outrebounding their opponents grabbing just shy of six more than their opponents. Individually, its junior guard Maggie Whitmore who leads the Falcons in every single major statistical category with her averaging 11.5 points per game, pulling down 6.9 rebounds per game, dishing out 41 assists, picking off 20 steals and blocking seven shots. Overall, Whitmore is one of three players to average double digits with graduate guard Kari Brekke and senior guard Ella Thompson averaging 10.6 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY vs BENTLEY
·       New Haven and Bentley meet for the 39th time in the history of the two programs, which has been dominated by the Falcons.
·       Bentley holds a 33-5 record in the previous 38 games, including a stretch of 23 straight victories that spanned beyond the full 90's and 00's decades
·       In most recent memory, the Falcons have won the last two games, with New Haven's last victory a 53-40 decision over the then ranked No. 19 Falcons on their home court.
·       Last season, the Falcons took a pair of wins, the second of which came in the opening round of the NE10 Championship.
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY
Going into the Wednesday night match-up against Bentley, the New Haven women's basketball team currently leads all NE10 teams with their 44.7 percent shooting average, connecting on 345-of-771 total attempts. Leading the way individually is senior Aurora Deshaies (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) who leads the NE10 and is fourth in the nation at 66% (86-of-131). As a team, the 44.7% average is currently 22nd in all of NCAA D2. Included among those numbers is 82 three pointers, on 236 attempts, for a 34.7 percent average which is fourth best in the NE10. Currently, Camryn DeBose (Wellington, Fla./Wellington Community) leads the team with 28 three pointers, but keep an eye on freshman Lindsay Hogan (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) who found her groove against Dominican when she went 7-of-9 from beyond the arc and now provides an efficient option off the bench for the Blue and Gold.
NEXT TIME OUT
For a second-straight weekend, New Haven will play on its home court, this time around welcoming the Pace Setters to Charger Gymnasium on Saturday, January 21. Tip off in the conference battle is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. with all of the action available live on the Charger Sports Network on NE10 NOW.
