LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Behind four players in double figures, the New Haven women's basketball team picked up a convincing 70-49 win over Georgian Court in its final road game in 2024. With the win, New Haven improves to 9-1 on the season.

Never trailing in the game, New Haven was led by Aniya McDonald-Perry (Middletown, Conn./Putnam Science Academy) who led four starters in double figures with 16 points while also leading the team with eight rebounds. In addition to the win in the scoring column, the Chargers also had a commanding lead in the battle of the board with a 46-28 margin. McDonald-Perry's 16 points came on a 6-of-11 shooting efforts, all inside of the three point arc, while she was also 4-of-4 at the free throw line. Among her eight rebounds, five came on the offensive glass.

Joining her in leading the team was freshman Schuyler Coles (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) with 15 points, taking advantage of trips to the free throw line where she went 7-of-12 while finishing 4-of-13 from the field. Lindsay Hogan (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) and Paige Cote (Sanford, Maine/Sanford) rounded out the Chargers scoring leaders with 15 and 11 points respectively. Among all the leading scorers, Cote led the shooting efforts as she connected on all but on eof her six field goal attempts.

As a team, New Haven finished the game shooting 37.9 percent from the field, including a pair of three point field goals, both of which came from Hogan. New Haven also finished the game 18-of-27 at the free throw line and also took advantage of 21 offensive rebounds, turning those into 16 second chance points, while also capitalizing off of the 23 turnovers forced by outscoring Georgian Court 20-10 on points off turnovers.

COACHES QUOTES

"We played defense with pride in the third quarter," said head coach Debbie Buff. "Frosh Skye [Schuyler Coles (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township)] was great overall - 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Aniya [McDonald-Perry] was great on both sides of the ball – 16 points and 8 rebounds and Lindsay [Hogan] had 14 points and 4 assists. Balanced scoring attack and we out rebounded GCU 46-28." 

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

·        Just like in its last game, New Haven opened up the contest on a scoring streak as they scored the first seven points of the afternoon and held the Lions off the scoreboard for the first four minutes of the game.

·        Coles was the first to score for the Blue and Gold as she converted a layup on the opening possession. She would go on to add another bucket in that opening rally.

·        After surrendering that first Lions bucket, the Chargers would turn to Cote who scored the next four points of the quarter as she opened the New Haven lead to 11-3 before Georgian Court added one more field goal before the first quarter horn. Cote's two layups came off of passes from Hogan and Charlotte Bassett (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury), both their second of the opening frame.

·        The second layup from Cote came with 5:15 remaining in the quarter, however holding the Lions to just one field goal over the final five minutes, the Chargers took an 11-5 lead into the first intermission.

SECOND QUARTER NOTES

·        Mirroring how they opened the game, New Haven scored the first eight points of the second quarter to extend their lead into double figures. Cote was the first to score in the second quarter and she would add one more basket in the rally to extend her team-lead in the scoring column to nine points just 78 seconds into the period.  

·        After surrendering the Lions first basket of the quarter, Coles would go back-to-back to extend the Chargers lead to 23-7 as she extended point total to eight.

·        The final 7:30 of the first half would seesaw back-and-forth with matching baskets for much of the time, however the Lions would outscore New Haven 21-15 in that stretch to pull within seven, 33-26.

·        That final margin at the break came courtesy of a perfect trip to the line from McDonald-Perry with four seconds remaining, while the Chargers final basket of the quarter came from beyond the three point arc off the fingertips of Hogan for her first points of the afternoon.

THIRD QUARTER NOTES

·        Keeping streak of scoring first alive, the Chargers opened up the second half scoring the first eight points of the third quarter, four each from McDonald-Perry and Coles as they combined to push the Chargers lead back into double figures at 41-26.

·        Defensively, the Blue and Gold held Georgian Court off the board for nearly three minutes of the quarter before the home team broke its drought with a three pointer.

·        That three was the only one for a nearly five minute span for the Lions as the Chargers once again put together a scoring rally, this time scoring six-straight to push the lead out to 18 just after the midway point of the quarter.

·        Following a three pointer for GCU with 90 seconds remaining in the period, the Chargers rallied once more to close out the frame scoring the final five points to take a 19 point lead, 54-35, into the final intermission.

FOURTH QUARTER NOTES

·        Make it four-for-four for the Chargers as Hogan opened up the scoring in the fourth quarter with a second chance layup which pushed the lead over 20 for the first time. The Lions didn't allow for a quarter opening streak however as they would answer right back with their first points of the quarter.

·        Nearly the entire fourth quarter consisted of trading buckets as New Haven would extend its lead over the 20 point plateau only to have the Lions answer right back to cut it to 19.

·        The closest GCU would get in the final period was 18 as they would score four straight points to put the margin at 67-49 with 1:25 remaining.

·        From that point, New Haven would hold the Lions off the board while adding three points, all from Kelis Simpson (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck), to close out the game with a 21-point margin.

UP NEXT

The Chargers will close out a stretch of three games in five days with their final non-conference game of the season when they welcome the Staten Island Dolphins to the Hazell Athletics Center on Sunday, December 22. Opening tip in the non-conference clash is set for 2:00 p.m. with all of the action available live on NE10 NOW on Flo College.