The Chargers hosted the Franklin Pierce Ravens on Tuesday as they looked to end the regular season in the win column before the start of the Northeast-10 (NE-10) playoffs. But after a strong start in the first quarter, New Haven was unable to keep up with the Ravens’ persistent offense and lost 70-59.
New Haven started strong in the first quarter as they jumped out to a 17-12 lead. Franklin Pierce dominated in the second as they outscored the Chargers 20-7 and went into halftime with an eight-point lead. New Haven’s offense got back on track in the second half as they scored 17 and 18 points in the respective quarters but were unable to get themselves out of the deficit they entered the second half with.
Guard Lindsay Hogan led the team offensively with 21 points and finished the game shooting 8-for-14 from the field. She also went 5-for-9 from behind the three-point arc. Hogan tallied a pair of rebounds and blocks in addition to an assist and a steal.
“There was a lack of energy,” said Hogan. “When they go on runs, we need to counter and we just didn’t do that today. We are always in a fight to the end, even if our energy’s down and we’re not scoring as much, we need to stick with them all the way.”
Following Hogan was forward Aurora Deshaies with 13 points, going 6-for-12 from the field. In addition, Deshaies had seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. Guard Charlotte Bassett tallied 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Behind New Haven’s leading scorers, three other Chargers were able to put up points against the Ravens. Forward Makaela Johnson tallied eight points, going 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Johnson also had two rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block. Guard Gabrielle Stickle added four points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Forward Bianca Pendleton had two points and an assist.
Against Franklin Pierce’s 46.8% from the shooting field, the Chargers finished the game shooting 43.8%. In the second quarter, the Ravens shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, while New Haven only shot 1-for-4.
While falling behind on offense, New Haven tallied 19 personal fouls and led to the Ravens shooting 17-for-23 from the free throw line. The Chargers finished the game going 9-for-11 from the free throw line.
The Chargers finished the regular season with a record of 8-18 and 4-18 in the NE-10 conference. New Haven will now enter the NE-10 playoffs and stay local for their first-round matchup with Southern Connecticut State University on Friday, March 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. as the Chargers look to advance to the second round for the first time since the 2018-19 season. For more information, please visit NewHavenChargers.com.