The New Haven women’s basketball team started conference play with a huge win on Wednesday by beating the Adelphi Panthers, 75-54. The Chargers were ahead the entire game. It was an all-around dominant effort for the Chargers, who are now 2-0 to start the season.

The opening minutes were a struggle for both teams’ offense, with New Haven managing to score the only baskets in the first three minutes of play. Adelphi cut their deficit down to just one after a three-pointer by Ty’zhea Hawkins to make it a 13-12 game. After a layup in the closing seconds by forward Bianca Pendelton, New Haven closed out the quarter with a 15-12 lead.

New Haven followed up a strong first quarter with another in the second, not allowing Adelphi to get anything going on offense. After a three in the first minute of the quarter by Kaitlyn O’Connell, Adelphi did not score another basket for the next five minutes of play. New Haven’s defense was too much for Adelphi to handle, allowing the Chargers to dictate the pace of the game.

The lead increased to as much as 12 in the first half after a shot from guard Camryn DeBose, who finished the game with a team high 24 points. Two three-pointers from Adelphi cut the deficit to six, giving New Haven a 31-25 lead through the first 20 minutes of play.

New Haven kept a comfortable lead to start the second half, with baskets from forwards Briana Van Cleaf, Aurora Deshaies, and DeBose to stretch their lead to ten. Adelphi was able to cut into the Chargers’ lead, but they were unable to put a stop to New Haven’s offense as they continued to add on. New Haven finished the third quarter with a 50-41 lead, as Adelphi scored four unanswered points in the final minute.

The fourth quarter was dominated by New Haven, who nearly doubled Adelphi’s point total. DeBose started it off with a layup, and the lead was built back to double digits after guard Marigona Bacaliu drilled a three-pointer. The Chargers scored eight unanswered points to close out the game at 74-54, giving them their largest lead of the game and another tally in the win column.

New Haven will stay at home for their next matchup on Saturday against the Bloomfield Bears. Tipoff is 1:30 p.m. as the Chargers look to add to their win streak against a non-conference opponent. More information can be found at newhavenchargers.com.