PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The New Haven women's basketball dropped a 46-38 decision to the visiting Adelphi Panthers in their return to the court following the holiday break. With the loss, New Haven drops to 9-3 on the season and 4-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference.

Leading the Chargers on the evening was senior guard Sabira Ahayeva (Minsk, Belarus/Minsk #27) who was the lone New Haven player in double figures with 10 points. Just behind the senior point guard was Aniya McDonald-Perry (Middletown, Conn./Putnam Science Academy) who finished one bucket of a double double with eight points while pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds. Paige Cote (Sanford, Maine/Sanford) also finished with eight points for the Blue and Gold.

As a team, New Haven finished the game shooting 30.2 percent from the field, connecting on 13-of-43 field goal attempts, with just one of those coming from outside the three point arc. The Chargers also finished with 11 points at the free throw line, with those coming on 17 attempts.

New Haven closed out the game with a 37-34 advantage in the rebounding battle with the 16 from McDonald-Perry a high for all players in the game while seven different players added at least one rebounds with Ahayeva following McDonald-Perry with six for the Chargers.

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

·        It would take 90 seconds before either team would get on the board with the Panthers striking first while the Chargers first points of the night came on the next possession as Sabira Ahayeva (Minsk, Belarus/Minsk #27) went perfect in a trip to the line.

·        Adelphi would answer that 2-2 draw with the next two baskets before the Chargers first hoop of the evening came from Paige Cote (Sanford, Maine/Sanford) over five minutes into the action.

·        Defensively, New Haven held the Panthers scoreless over the final six-plus minutes while  scoring the final four points of the quarter to pull within a pair at the intermission, 8-6.

SECOND QUARTER NOTES

·        Coming out of the first break, the Chargers kept their momentum and defensive strength, holding the Panthers off the board for the first three-plus minutes, while offensively scoring the first five points to flip the lead and take an 11-8 lead.

·        Lindsay Hogan (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) was the first to score in the second quarter, draining the first three pointer of the night for the Chargers while Aniya McDonald-Perry (Middletown, Conn./Putnam Science Academy) followed with a layup.

·        The Panthers offense wouldn't take the whole quarter off, finally getting on the board with 6:15 to play, sparking a 10-0 rally to regain the lead, building their advantage out to seven, 18-11.

·        Hogan would net the final points for the Charger with a spot jumper while the Panthers struck last with an and-one to take a 21-14 lead into the halftime break.

THIRD QUARTER NOTES

·        Coming out of the halftime break, the Panthers scored first just 30 seconds into the action while holding New Haven off the board for the first 90 seconds before Cote converted for the Blue and Gold.

·        Defensively, Adelphi held New Haven to just one field goal in the first five-plus minutes as they opened up the first double digit lead of the game rattling off 10-of-11 points to take a 31-17 lead.

·        Coming off the bench, Nayeli Dowding (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) would put an end to that Adelphi streak with her first bucket of the evening coming with 3:11 to play in the quarter.

·        Ahayeva would following the Dowding basket with two of her own, split up by the Panthers final basket of the quarter with just under two minutes to play.

·        The second of those Ahayeva baskets was part of a three point player as the senior converted the free throw to cut the deficit to 33-24 with McDonald-Perry adding one more point at the line to close out the quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER NOTES

·        The Panthers defense stepped up again to start the fourth quarter as they opened up the frame scoring the first five points to extend their lead to 38-25.

·        McDonald-Perry was able to break through for the Chargers first points of the quarter at the 6:25 mark but it wasn't until after the Panthers basket that answered hers that New Haven was able to slow down the Adelphi offense.

·        Facing a 40-27 deficit, New Haven was able to rattle off eight unanswered to pull within five at 40-35 with the answer from the Panthers coming at the two minute mark, with that being the final bucket of the game for Adelphi as their final four points all came at the free throw line.

·        McDonald-Perry scored the Chargers final basket with just under a minute remaining to cut the deficit to 43-38 while the Panthers answered with three more at the line for the final margin of 46-38.

UP NEXT

Continuing its first run of the Northeast-10 Conference, the Chargers will head on the road for a weekend meeting with the nationally ranked Bentley Falcons on Sunday, January 5. Opening tip off from the Dana Center against the No. 4 Falcons is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. with all of the action available live on NE10 Now on Flo College.