The New Haven women’s basketball team came away with another win on Saturday afternoon for Senior Day, honoring their seven seniors: Camryn DeBose, Kameryn King, Briana Van Cleaf, Alyssa Stevenson, Aliyah Wright, Brianna Diaz and Leighanna Lister.

During their seven-game win streak, the team is averaging 65.2 points per game while allowing just 56.2 points. Now sitting at 13-7, the Chargers have put themselves in position to make a deep playoff run.

Forward Aurora Deshaies placed New Haven on the scoreboard with two jumpers in the paint, followed up by a jumper from guard Lindsey Hogan off a steal by Lister. The defense was strong for the Chargers early in the game, forcing turnovers to give themselves more opportunities to score.

American International College (AIC) tied the game at 10 on a free throw by Kayla Robinson but New Haven answered back with a pair of free throws to retake the lead. The Chargers built on their lead in the final minute of the quarter with a three-pointer by King to take a four-point lead going into the second quarter.

Deshaies broke the Chargers’ early slump in the second with two layups to put them ahead by six. AIC answered right back, cutting the deficit to as little as three with a pair of scores from Tia-Marie Martinez and Taylor Tomlinson. After a timeout by New Haven, Hogan continued her strong start to the game with her first of two threes to stretch the lead back to six. She knocked down her second with 3:11 remaining in the half to give the Chargers their first double-digit lead of the game.

After another steal by Lister, the offense continued to roll with another layup by Deshaies to cap off their 10-point unanswered streak. Neither team would manage to score another basket in the closing minutes, sending New Haven into the half with a 34-24 lead.

King opened the scoring in the second half to pick up right where the team left off. AIC responded quickly, knocking down two threes to make it a six-point game.

New Haven’s defense came back around with six minutes left to play in the third after a steal and score by DeBose on a fastbreak. They continued to add on with a pair of jumpers from Lister and DeBose that would give them a 13-point lead. DeBose then knocked down a three to stretch the lead again and put New Haven in complete control for the rest of the game.

AIC would cut the deficit down to 13 at the end of the quarter after free throws by Robinson and Tomlinson, going into the fourth quarter with lots of ground to make up.

After a 30-second timeout, New Haven’s offense got back on track with a jumper by Deshaies, her final score in her team-high 16 point performance. Guard Gabrielle Stickle added to the lead with a big three to bring the lead to 17.

AIC closed the gap as the final minutes approached, cutting the lead down from 15 to about six. King sank six free throws in the final minute to give New Haven a comfortable lead, resulting in a big 70-65 win in a crucial conference matchup.

New Haven will stay at home for their next matchup tonight against Saint Michael’s College. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. as the Chargers look to continue their win streak with just five games remaining in the regular season. More information can be found at NewHavenChargers.com.