The New Haven women’s basketball team closed out the 2022-23 season on a high note, coming away with a 67-59 win over Saint Anselm College. A dominant display of offense in the second half carried them to a victory, finishing with a 17-9 overall record. The Chargers will now enter the Northeast-10 (NE-10) playoffs for the fourth consecutive season as the number five seed, giving them a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

After a layup from forward Aurora Deshaies to open the scoring, Saint Anselm’s defense stepped up and forced turnovers to take an early lead. The Hawks would hold the lead for the entirety of the first quarter, doubling New Haven’s total points and tallying three steals and a block.

Saint Anselm continued to add to their lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter, going ahead by as many as 12 after a jumper by forward Liv Robles.

Deshaies cut into the deficit with a pair of layups, but the Hawks regained their double-digit lead after two free throws from forward Alexa Quirolo. Their comfortable lead did not last long however, after a turnover by guard McKenzy Ouellette turned into a score from New Haven guard Aliyah Wright.

New Haven’s offense caught a spark late in the half with another layup from Deshaies and a pair of three-pointers from guards Camryn DeBose and Lindsay Hogan to tie the game at 22 with 29 seconds remaining in the half. Saint Anselm would reclaim the lead with 12 seconds to play on a layup from forward Melanie Hoyt to send them into the break with a one-score lead.

Saint Anselm’s defense once again forced New Haven to turn the ball over, leading to a three from guard Macy Spinks to go ahead by five. New Haven’s defense responded with a steal by DeBose to turn the play into a layup for guard Kameryn King, which made it a one-point game.

Spinks sunk another three to put the Hawks ahead by six with six minutes remaining in the third quarter, and after a jumper from DeBose to cut into the lead, Ouellette fired right back with another three.

After falling behind by eight with 3:14 left in the third quarter, New Haven started a comeback that brought them within one. With 14 seconds remaining, DeBose knocked down a clutch three to cap off a huge 20-point quarter as the team looked to carry that momentum into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter started with a three from Hogan to give New Haven the lead, but the Hawks took it right back with the second of three three-pointers from Ouellette.

With 4:05 left in the game, New Haven retook the lead with a huge three-pointer from King. The Chargers’ defense dominated the final minutes, forcing turnovers that allowed them to add to their lead and seal the game.

New Haven will open the playoffs against number 12 seed Franklin Pierce University on Friday, Feb. 24. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. as the Chargers look to advance to the conference quarterfinal for the first time since the 2019-20 season. More information can be found at newhavenchargers.com.