Basketball is back and better than ever for the Chargers with fans in the stands and dance and cheerleading teams on the sidelines exciting the team and the crowd. The New Haven women’s basketball team broke their winless conference streak against the Saint Michael’s Purple Knights (68-53) on Saturday. This brings the Chargers’ overall record to 6-10.

There were many highlights throughout the game for both the team and individual players. Junior guard Kameryn King from Old Saybrook, Conn. set a personal high of 16 points, along with four rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Marigona Bacaliu of Worcester, Mass. also set a career-high in this game scoring 15 points. Two Chargers also reached double-digits in terms of scoring in this game: junior forward Aurora Deshaies from Syracuse, N.Y. (12 points) and junior forward Briana Van Cleaf from Staten Island, N.Y. (11 points).

In the first half, King led with 10 points, eight of those coming in the first quarter, and Bacaliu had two three-pointers in the first half. The first quarter closed with a score of 24-10 and the Chargers in the lead. In the second quarter the Chargers defense held strong, however, the Purple Knights made a comeback to end the quarter 12-18.

After halftime, the Chargers returned ready to dominate. The second half started with Bacaliu leading the team with nine points, Van Cleaf scoring seven, and both King and Deshaies put up six points. In terms of defense, senior guard Camryn DeBose from Wellington, Fla. stood out defensively with five steals in the second half. The Chargers held their ground in the final two quarters with the third ending with a score of 17-12 and the fourth ending at 15-13, bringing the final score to 68-53 for a Charger win.

Make sure to watch the Chargers face off against Pace away on Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m. on NE-10 Now and against the Le Moyne Dolphins home on Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Charger Gymnasium.