GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: February 7, 2023
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LOCATION: Charger Gymnasium
West Haven, Conn. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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WHAT'S ON TAP
A top-15 shooting team and top-10 rebounding team in the nation, New Haven needs to keep confidence in everything they have done during their current seven-game win streak when they welcome Saint Michael's to Charger Gym closing out a three-game homestand with the Purple Knights. Tip off in the NE10 battle is set for 5:30 p.m.
SCOUTING NEW HAVEN
Looking to extend a win streak that matches the longest in the tenure of Coach Buff, currently at seven-straight, New Haven needs to continue to rely on a defense that is holding opponents to just 59.0 points per game, while keeping confidence in its shooting where it is currently 15th in NCAA Division II with its 45.9 percent from the field. Leading the way is Camryn DeBose (Wellington, Fla./Wellington Community) who is averaging 16.0 points per game, fifth 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 14.1 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 65% shooting percentage (128-of-197) 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 10.3 ppg, while leading the team with 97 assists, with her 5.1 assists per game average leading the conference and 14th best in the nation.
SCOUTING SAINT MICHAEL'S
A team that has struggled to score all season, the Purple Knights are still searching for their first league win of the season, having lost 18-straight games since their lone win on the season against Mercy back on November 12. For the season, the Purple Knights are averaging just 48.6 ppg, while surrendering 62.6 ppg to their opponents. Defensively, they are forcing their opponents to take shots that aren't their first choice, resulting in a 38.9 percent average for their opponents. Individually, Saint Michael's is led by Emma MacDonough and Paige Slaven who are each averaging 11.4 points per game. Both are also outside shooting threats as they each have more than 30 three-point field goals.
SERIES HISTORY vs SAINT MICHAEL's
·        New Haven and Saint Michael's meet for the 23rd time in the history of the two programs.
·        New Haven holds a 13-9 record in the previous 22 games, including winning the last 10 straight meetings.
·        New Haven opened up the series with a 10-point victory back in February of 1983.
·        Last season, the Chargers continued their current win streak in the series with a 15-point triumph.
·        In the current 10-game win streak, New Haven has won by double figures in all but one game and that was a nine-point victory.
THE FIRST TIME VS SAINT MICHAEL'S
Senior point guard Kameryn King (Old Saybrook, Conn./Mercy) finished with a season-high 18 points as the Chargers picked up their first road win in NE10 play 55-44 against Saint Michael's. Overall, King was one of three players to score in double digits, joined by graduate student Camryn Debose and senior Marigona Bacaliu (Worcester, Mass./Putnam Science Academy) who finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively. As a team, New Haven finished the day shooting 33.9 percent from the field going 19-of-56 overall, including seven three pointers, one shy of the season-high. The Chargers were also 10-of-15 at free throw line, while holding Saint Michael's to 31.4 percent shooting (16-of-51).
DESHAIES DIPS INTO WEEKLY HONORS
After helping lead the Chargers to their sixth and seventh straight victories, senior co-captain Aurora Deshaies (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) found herself collecting her first honors of the season, named NE10 Player of the Week as announced by the league office. Deshaies averaged 19.5 points and 11.5 rebounds as the Chargers opened the final month of the regular season with a pair of home wins over Saint Rose and American International. The Syracuse, N.Y. native has been a force inside the three point arc all season and this week was no different as she shot an impressive 76 percent from the field (19-of-25), extending her league leading field goal percentage.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
The Chargers are currently in the midst of a seven-game win streak as they head into the mid-week home game against Saint Michael's. The set of seven straight matches the longest such win streak under the leadership of head coach Debbie Buff, with the first coming during her inaugural season at the helm, 2018-19. It is also the longest since the Chargers won nine-straight back in 2014-15, a season where they finished 26-6 overall and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. In the current seven game win streak, the Chargers are outscoring their opponents by 9.3 ppg and out rebounding them by 11.1 per game, while shooting just shy of 50%, 174-of-354.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Chargers will step away from NE10 play when they next take the floor in their penultimate non-conference game of the season in the City of Brotherly Love as they take on Chestnut Hill on Thursday night at Sorgenti Arena. Tip-off against the Griffins is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
