RINDGE, N.H. – For the third straight game, a New Haven player has finished with 20+ in the scoring column and it has led to a perfect 3-0 start to the season for the Blue and Gold as senior Charlotte Bassett (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) led the Chargers with 24 points in a 66-44 road win over Franklin Pierce.

All but four of the Chargers 66 points came from its starting five as two additional players joined Bassett in double figures with Sabira Ahayeva (Minsk, Belarus/Minsk #27) and Aniya McDonald-Perry (Middletown, Conn./Putnam Science Academy) each finishing with 10 points. Rounding out the starting five was Lindsay Hogan (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) and Paige Cote (Sanford, Maine/Sanford) who each finished with nine points. Bassett led the shooting efforts for the Chargers as she finished 9-of-16 from the field including 4-of-7 from beyond the three points arc.

The Chargers floor marshal, Ahayeva added seven assists and four steals to her 10 points, all while not turning the ball over once. Her seven assists were part of 18 on the 28 total baskets for the Chargers. Cote followed Ahayeva with three assists while also leading the team with three blocks.

As a team, New Haven shot 40.6 percent from the field with the 28 field goals coming on 69 attempts. Among the 28 buckets were six from outside the arc, while the Chargers were 4-of-8 from the free throw line. The Chargers and Ravens closed out the game with a 41-41 stalemate on the boards with Hogan leading the team with 11. The starting five for New Haven finished with 27 of the 41 rebounds.

COACHES QUOTES

"We played a great game against a very good Franklin Pierce team. Energy was there from start to finish. One of our goals was to take care of the ball. We had 18 Assists to 9 turnovers. Sabira was an excellent quarterback the whole game - zero Turnovers. Collective team win!"

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

·        The Ravens were the first to score on the evening with a three pointer. The Chargers first bucket of the day came nearly 40 seconds later from McDonald-Perry as she converted on a layup thanks to the first assist of the day from Ahayeva.

·        The Chargers were able to knot the score at five thanks to the first points of the day from the leading scorer Basset, with her first basket coming from outside the arc.

·        Franklin Pierce was able to open up as much as a five point lead in the first quarter and took a 10-8 lead into the first intermission.

·        The Chargers started out shooting cold in the first quarter, finishing the first 10 minutes of action going 3-of-13 with two of the three baskets from outside the arc.

SECOND QUARTER NOTES

·        Just like the opening quarter, the second quarter started out scoreless through nearly the first two minutes with New Haven striking first as Bassett took advantage of a Ravens turnover to net the first points.

·        Another Bassett bucket would provide the second tie score of the quarter and the final one of the game as the Chargers would go on to close out the second quarter on a 15-5 run and take a 29-19 lead into the halftime break.

·        That basket from Basset began an 11-0 run to start the period closing rally, with the senior guard scoring seven of the 11 points.

·        The largest lead of the quarter for New Haven came with just under one minute remaining when Ahayeva converted on a fastbreak after securing the steal on the other end of the floor.

·        After being outscored in the opening period, New Haven won the second quarter 21-9 with Bassett leading all players in the second 10 minutes with nine points.

THIRD QUARTER NOTES

·         Bassett's high scoring continued after the break as she would close out the third quarter with 10 of her 24 total points for the game, shooting 3-of-5 from the field with a pair of three pointers in as many attempts.

·        The Chargers would never relinquish the double figure lead they took into the locker room at the break, building up as much as a 20-point lead with 53 seconds remaining.

·        The first five minutes of the second half are always important and the Chargers made sure they won the first five, outscoring the Ravens 11-4 to build up a 40-23 lead, with that 17 point advantage courtesy of a three pointer from Bassett.

·        Franklin Pierce managed to cut their deficit to as little as 13, however New Haven responded by scoring nine of the next 11 points all leading to the 20 point advantage as McDonald-Perry converted a layup off of a Ravens turnover.

FOURTH QUARTER NOTES

·        New Haven's hot shooting continued into the fourth quarter as they opened up the frame with back-to-back baskets from McDonald-Perry and Bassett to regain a 20 point lead, expanding it to 22 before the Ravens were able to muster a basket.

·        After that first Ravens basket, New Haven began what was an 8-2 rally that concluded with a three pointer from Ahayeva and a 25-point lead with that run all coming in just over a three-minute span.

·        That 25-point lead was the largest of the game for New Haven, however they would never allow the Ravens to bring their deficit under the 20-point level the remainder of the game.

UP NEXT

With the NE10 opener under their belts, New Haven will keep its attention on the conference opponents as their next four games will all come in league play. First on that list will be the Chargers home opener as they welcome the Pace Setters to West Haven in a week's time on Wednesday, November 20. Opening tip in what will be a doubleheader with the men's team is set for 5:30 p.m. with all of the action available live on NE10 Now on Flo College.