BOX SCORE
WEST HAVEN, Conn. - Alyssa
Whitney's (Somerville, MA) conventional three-point
play with 9.7 seconds remaining lifted Southern New Hampshire
University, which trailed by as many as 17 points in the first
half, to a 67-66 Northeast-10 women's basketball victory over the
University of New Haven at Charger Gymnasium Wednesday night.
The Penmen, who entered the game ranked ninth in the East Region,
improve to 15-10 overall and 10-10 in the NE-10 with the win, while
the Chargers are now 13-12 and 8-12 in the league.
Whitney finished with nine points
and also handed out three assists. Megan Shay (Candor, NY)
recorded a career-high 17 points, drilling five of her nine
three-point attempts. Christine Duffy
(South Boston, MA) totaled 11 points, seven assists and four
rebounds, while Ashara Carrington
(Marblehead, MA) added 10 points. Julia
Houghtaling (Franconia, NH) contributed eight points
while grabbing 12 rebounds.
Lauren Hood led New Haven with 18
points, while Briiana Rende and Danielle Stellmacher each finished
with 13 points for the Chargers.
Southern New Hampshire trailed
56-46 with just over eight minutes to play when it reeled off 14
unanswered points to take a 60-56 lead, its first since the game's
opening moments. A three by Shay at the 4:54 mark gave the
Penmen a 58-56 lead, and a layup by Houghtaling with 3:32 left gave
the Penmen a four-point cushion. The Chargers used an 8-2
spurt to reclaim the lead, 64-62, with 2:23 left on a conventional
three-point play by Hood.
The Penmen tied the game at the
1:32 mark on a pair of free throws by Brooke Lefort
(Cumberland, RI). On New Haven's next possession Hood
converted a layup to give the hosts a two-point lead. The
Penmen got two looks at the basket on their next trip down the
floor, but couldn't convert, and New Haven controlled the
rebound. However, the Chargers would turn it over with 23
seconds left when Hood was whistled for an offensive foul.
Whitney would drive to the basket
and get fouled on a successful layup with 9.7 seconds to
play. She made the free throw to give the Penmen a 61-60
lead. UNH's Marte was fouled going to the basket with 5.3
seconds left, but missed both free throws. Whitney corralled
the second carom and was fouled with 3.5 seconds to go. She
missed both at the line, but New Haven was unable to get off a
final shot.
New Haven jumped out to a 10-1 lead
just 4:30 into the game and a pair of free throws by Marte with
7:24 left in the first half gave the Chargers a 26-9 lead.
The Penmen scored seven straight points to cut the lead to 10,
26-16, with 6:22 left on a layup by Whitney. Southern New
Hampshire then went on a 8-0 run to make it a 31-29 game with just
over two minutes to go on a jumper by Jenny McDade (Derry,
NH). UNH held a 36-32 lead at halftime.
SNHU cut the lead to two on its
first possession of the second half on a layup by Houghtaling, but
New Haven opened up a 46-36 lead at the 16:04 mark on a layup by
Nikki Carroll. The Chargers took their largest lead of the
second half, 52-41, at the 12:39 mark on a three-pointer by Lindsay
Salt.
New Haven outrebounded Southern New
Hampshire 39-33 and held the Penmen to 39.3% shooting for the
contest, but SNHU was 7-17 (41.2%) behind the arc and made eight
more trips to the free throw line, going 16-24 at the stripe as
opposed to UNH's 13-16 effort. The Chargers also committed 25
turnovers while forcing 20 Penmen giveaways.
Southern New Hampshire returns to
action Saturday when it hosts Assumption College in a 1:30 contest
at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
