A strong season with wins in 11 of the last 14 regular season matchups came to an abrupt end with the New Haven women’s basketball team dropping their first-round playoff matchup against Franklin Pierce University. As the buzzer sounded for Franklin Pierce’s 56-49 upset win, New Haven’s hope of making a run to the championship came up short after their fantastic stretch before the end of the season.

New Haven’s offense got off to a hot start, establishing a five-point lead in the first three minutes of the first quarter. Guard Camryn DeBose put up a pair of threes and guard Kameryn King added one of her own halfway through the first quarter to add to their early lead. Forward Aurora Deshaies knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 10-point game as the offense continued to roll.

With 33 seconds remaining in the quarter, Franklin Pierce cut the deficit to six after a layup from forward Ines Gimenez Monserrat, who finished with a game-high 24 points. Guard Lindsay Hogan made a pair of free throws to close out the first quarter with the Chargers ahead by eight.

Hogan picked up where she left off at the start of the second quarter, knocking down a three to put New Haven ahead by double digits once again. The offense could not maintain their strong pace from the first quarter as they endured a 4:16 scoreless streak, b​ut the defense stood tall and kept the Ravens from closing the gap.

After a free throw from guard Anna Badosa Soler made it an eight-point game, Deshaies knocked down a jumper, followed by another three from Hogan to put New Haven ahead by 13. The first half ended as a nine-point contest after two consecutive baskets from Franklin Pierce in the final two minutes.

New Haven scored a game-low nine points in the third quarter as the offense failed to convert on quality opportunities and turned the ball over four times. Their big lead was starting to disappear, giving Franklin Pierce more chances with the ball, outscoring New Haven 12-9 in the quarter.

Guard Kenzie Sirowich brought the lead down to six with 1:21 left to play in the third quarter with a jumper, sending New Haven into a 30-second timeout. Forward Leighanna Lister made it an eight-point game on two free throws with 50 seconds left, but Gimenez Monserrat added a pair of free throws of her own to bring the lead back down to six going into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was dominated by Franklin Pierce’s offense, starting with a layup and a three-pointer from Gimenez Monserrat to make it a one-point game. The Ravens held the lead for 16 seconds after a layup from Sirowich before forward Bianca Pendleton knotted the score at 41 with seven minutes left to play.

After Pendleton made a free throw, New Haven went on another scoreless streak that spanned just under four minutes. In that time, Franklin Pierce was able to take a two-point lead that they would hold for the rest of the game, coming all the way back for a huge upset win in the first round of the NE-10 playoffs.

A season full of promise for New Haven comes to a disappointing end as the quest for a championship continues. More information about the game and the program can be found at NewHavenChargers.com.