After over a week break from action, the Chargers women’s basketball team faced their rival, the Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) Owls on Wednesday night. New Haven was looking to split the series after they dropped the first game earlier in the season.
After the first quarter, both teams were tied 10-10. The Chargers offense dominated quickly, and outscored the Owls for the remainder of the game. Guards Lindsay Hogan and Charlotte Bassett led the way for the Chargers with high scoring stat sheets in the 55-49 win.
Hogan totaled a team high 16 points in 40 minutes of play. She shot 7-for-13 from the field and dropped in two from behind the three point arc. She also ripped down seven boards to cap off her performance.
Bassett would follow suit, scoring 15 points in 37 minutes of play. She finished shooting 6-for-11 from the field with three of those shots coming from behind the arc. Bassett also collected six rebounds and dished out four assists to finish off her night.
“I wasn’t really thinking about this being my final home game, rather than focusing on getting the win,” said Bassett. “It’s easy to get caught up in the sentiment of it, but if we just lock in for the last regular season games, I know that’s what it will take to get us a home game for playoffs.”
As a team, New Haven had the upper hand and outshot Southern 44.9% to 38.2% from the field. New Haven was also significantly stronger from the three point arc as they finished shooting 38.9% compared to the Owls’ 15.8%. They also dominated on the glass, grabbing 34 rebounds to SCSU’s 28. Aniya McDonald Perry was the leading rebounder for the Chargers with 11. The assist column was tied at 15 for each team.
The Chargers have two more games on the road to finish the season off before competing in the conference tournament.
Bassett also talked about the team’s mentality with playoffs right around the corner.
“Our mentality right now is to hone in on defense and take all the pride in the world in getting stops because playoffs require a different level of defense,” she said. “We’re also making sure we leave it all out there for every game and can say to ourselves we had no regrets when the final buzzer sounds after 40 minutes. Having confidence in your own shots as well as your teammates’ and running the floor hard go a long way and we’re starting to see that with the games we are winning.”
After the win against SCSU, the Chargers have an overall record of 15-9 and 10-8 in NE10 play. New Haven will travel to Garden City, N.Y. to face the Adelphi University Panthers on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. For more information, please visit newhavenchargers.com
