SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The University of New Haven women’s basketball team collected its first Northeast-10 Conference win of the season, as the Chargers handed Le Moyne College a 61-50 loss at Ted Grant Court on Sunday afternoon. With the win, UNH improved to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in conference competition. The Dolphins dropped to 2-4 and 0-3 in the league.
The first half of action featured a close contest with several lead changes. The teams battled back and forth, as neither squad managed to garner an advantage of more than four points. Dominique Stellmacher led the way for the Chargers in the opening stanza, registering 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and grabbed five rebounds. Nicole Pollard also fared well before the halftime whistle, as the senior added eight points on an efficient 3-of-4 shooting from the field. At the break however, the Dolphins controlled a mere two point lead, 33-31.
After the intermission, UNH quickly regained the lead with an 8-0 run through 3:21 of play in the second half. Stellmacher sparked the surge with a jump shot and two free-throws, while Lauren Boivin capped off the rally with a bucket down low. Over the next 10 minutes, the Chargers sustained their advantage, eventually leading to another strong stretch. Stellmacher drained a deep three-pointer, granting New Haven its largest margin of the day at 14 points.
With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, the Chargers slowed the tempo and let crucial seconds tick away. New Haven held Le Moyne to 28 percent shooting from the floor and forced 21 turnovers on the afternoon. Offensively, New Haven connected on 41 percent of its field goals, including five three-pointers and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
Stellmacher led all scorers with 20 points, making 6-of-13 shots from the field, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Anh-Dao Tran also reached double-figures in the scoring column, recording 13 points along with five assists and five boards. Pollard chimed in with eight points and Jill Baranger added seven in the triumph.
Emily Bayly led the Dolphins with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Danielle Felice added 11 points and six rebounds.
The Chargers return to action on Wednesday, December 1 when they play host to the College of Saint Rose. The game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. at Charger Gymnasium. Live statistics and live audio will be available at www.NewHavenChargers.com.
