WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven women’s basketball team overcame an eight-point halftime deficit, pouring in 57 points after the intermission, to down visiting Adelphi, 86-75, in Wednesday’s Northeast-10 contest at Charger Gymnasium. Anh-Dao Tran (Webster, Mass./Holy Name) led all players with 23 points in the Chargers’ third straight victory.
The Chargers’ (9-11, 8-8 NE-10) second-half output matches the 57 points scored on Dec. 1, 2007 in the second half of a 103-81 win over Mercy.
The game also marked the 191st game on the Chargers’ sidelines for Jessica Smith. The seventh-year head coach, who is also New Haven’s all-time wins leader with 91, surpasses the 190 games coached by Mary Ann Palazzi from 1993-2000.
Tran’s 23 points were fueled by a 14-for-16 performance at the free throw line for the 86.4 percent foul shooter, who also dished out four assists. Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) registered a double-double for the second straight game, racking up 13 points and 11 rebounds. Rykema Stone (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) shared the game high on the boards with 11 rips of her own.
In total, five Chargers netted double figures. Briana Bradford (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) scored 15 points, Lauren Hebert (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) had 13 off the bench for the second game in a row and Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) poured in 12.
New Haven held a 48-42 advantage on the glass and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds en route to a 19-3 lead in second-chance points. The Chargers turned 27 Adelphi turnovers into 25 points, while New Haven’s 20 miscues were converted to 15 Panthers’ tallies.
Sade Jackson had a team-high 19 points for the Panthers (10-10, 7-9 NE-10).
Adelphi led by as many as 15 points in the opening half, doubling up the Chargers at 30-15 with 7:32 to go in the period. The margin held to a 33-18 tally before New Haven finished the frame on an 11-4 run to head the locker room facing a more manageable 37-29 deficit.
The Chargers continued their run to open the second half, netting nine of the frame’s first 10 points to erase the deficit and tie the score at 38-38. Adelphi broke the deadlock and reclaimed a 45-42 edge before Hebert converted two free throws and Moore followed with a three-pointer to give New Haven a lead that it would not relinquish at 47-45.
The run grew to 9-0 following a Bradford jumper and two free throws from Tran, but the Panthers continued to trade buckets with New Haven and eventually whittled the lead to one point, 62-61, with 6:12 to go. Back-to-back Bradford layups quelled the threat, and Adelphi was never within one possession the rest of the way. New Haven connected on its last 16 free throws and shot 28-for-37 (75.7 percent) from the stripe overall to ice an 86-75 victory.
The win marks the Chargers’ second home-and-home sweep of Adelphi in four seasons as Northeast-10 foes. New Haven claimed a 79-77 decision in Garden City, N.Y. earlier this season.
Winner of three straight, New Haven hits the road this Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. game at Pace. The Setters stand at 11-9 overall and 9-7 in NE-10 action after a 74-67 win tonight at American International.
