WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Sophomore Ashley LeBlanc (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but the University of New Haven women’s basketball team dropped a Northeast-10 Conference game to Saint Michael’s College, 89-75, Wednesday night at Charger Gymnasium. The Chargers dropped to 6-10 overall and 5-7 in the NE-10, while the Purple Knights improved to 6-10 overall and 4-8 in conference play.

LeBlanc connected on 8-of-12 shots from the floor and 4-of-4 free throws for UNH. Freshman Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) added 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) contributed 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Anh-Dao Tran (Webster, Mass./Holy Name) chipped in with 15 points.

The first half was back and forth at Charger Gymnasium with the lead changing hands nine times and the score tied three time. New Haven led by as many at six points with 11:25 on the clock, while the Purple Knights held their largest lead of the half at halftime, 47-37.

New Haven’s Hayes connected on a pair of free throws to give UNH a 16-10 lead at 11:25. Saint Michael’s then went on a 9-2 run to take a one point lead with 9:34 left. The Purple Knights would take the lead for good in the half with 5:46 left and then went on an 18-11 run to close the half and take a 10-point advantage.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Saint Michael’s lead grew to as many as 12 points. Just under 10 minutes into the half, Bradford hit a shot from long range and sparked a 10-0 run for the Chargers. Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) finished with run with a trey from deep in the corner to give UNH a 61-60 advantage. The teams exchanged the lead before the Purple Knights pulled ahead again. A single digit lead for Saint Michael’s grew to 10 points, 79-69, with just over a minute left on the clock. The Purple Knights connected from the line down the stretch and the Chargers suffered a 14-point loss.

UNH shot 37.3 percent from the floor, 27.6 percent from three-point range and 91.7 percent from the line. The Purple Knights hit 43.8 percent from the floor, 45.5 percent from long range and 93.8 percent from the charity stripe. The rebounds were fairly close with UNH trailing 43-46 but the biggest difference came with a 13-3 advantage for the Purple Knights in points off turnovers.