NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- On Wednesday night, Post University Women's Basketball trailed by 18 points heading into halftime and senior guard Naj White had just nine points in a half that the University of New Haven put up 42 points. But by the end of the night, White was etching her name in the record books and the Eagles made a spirited comeback against the Chargers to force overtime before senior guard Nayeli Dowding's floater with 2.5 seconds left was the difference maker as New Haven held on for the 68-66 win.

However, White's night saw her score 31 points between the second half and overtime, finishing with 37 points on 16-of-25 shooting and just one rebound shy of a double-double. Those 37 points put her third in the record books for most points in a single game behind only Jasmyne Fogle at 38 points against the University of the District of Columbia in 2017 and Post Hall of Famer Aubrey Latham's 41 points in 2013 against Wilmington University. Meanwhile, the 16 made field goals broke the single-game program record set by Taylor Williams against Caldwell in 2019 and surpassed Lathan's 13 field goals which she reached four times during the 2013-14 season.

On the final shot of overtime, White had a chance to eclipse 40 points at the buzzer with her straight-on three-point shot that would have won the game for the Eagles, but clanked off the back of the rim and out as time expired. 

THE BASICS

Post University 66, University of New Haven 68 (OT)

Post University (1-10)
 
University of New Haven (8-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Like against Queens College the other day, Post would find themselves in a 13-2 hole after the Chargers started the game on a 13-0 run in which they got scoring from all five of their starters over the course of the first 4 1/2 minutes of the first quarter. The lead would end up shrinking down to five, 18-13, with the help of nine first-quarter points from sophomore forward Alyssa Rossignol and an 8-2 Eagles run to close out the frame after they were trailing by 11 points. 

That five-point deficit would be the slimmest it got for Post throughout the rest of the first half as the Chargers matched them basket for basket to start the second quarter before pulling away with a late-quarter run. After White got to her nine first-half points with 2:32 left, senior guard Sabira Aahayeva's free throw started what would be a 10-0 run that she also ended with a three to give New Haven an 18-point advantage, 42-24 heading into the break. The primary reason for the large lead despite the Eagles shooting 50% from the floor was the 14 turnovers they committed which led to 21 points on the other end for the Chargers.

Right out of halftime though, Post worked their way back into the game using an 11-0 run over the first 3 1/2 minutes which included seven straight points from White to get back within seven points, 42-35, before graduate center Paige Cote recorded the first Charger points at the 5:32 mark of the frame. White would end up finishing the quarter with 12 points while the Post defense limited New Haven to only eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, but still trailed by nine, 50-41. 

It would take nearly all 10 minutes of the fourth to cut down that nine-point deficit and pull even as a 7-0 run propelled by five more points from White brought the deficit down to one with 4:15 left, 54-53, before back-to-back baskets from Cote and junior forward Aniya McDonald-Perry gave the Chargers some breathing room. Trailing by four with under two minutes to go, White went to work again with a long three and the Eagles pulled even at 60 all with 1:06 to go on freshman guard Jasmine Day-Cox's free throw. It would not be until 11 seconds remaining in regulation that Post took their first lead on a baseline jumper by White, putting New Haven's back against the wall on their home floor.

On the ensuing possession, Dowding would drive on White who fouled her with three seconds to go, leading to two free throws which the senior made to tie the game and force overtime after Rossignol turned the ball over on the baseline at the buzzer. After both sides exchanged two points at the start of the overtime session, both would go quiet until the final minute when Cote and White exchanged makes to keep things tied at 66 with 11 seconds to go. Dowding would go on to hit the dagger shot, floating it in from the baseline with 2.5 seconds left as White's three from the top of the key went off the back iron, and her career night ended with 37 points in the narrow 68-66 comeback defeat to the Chargers. 

BY THE NUMBERS  

• Naj White finished with a program-record 16 field goals made, going 16-for-25 with a career-high 37 points which ranks as the third-most single-game points in program history at Post -- White accounted for a program-record 56% of her team's points in tonight's game 
• Alyssa Rossignol had one of her best shooting nights of the season, going 6-for-10 (60%) and dropping in 15 points while grabbing five rebounds for Post 
• As a team, Post University shot a season-best 47.4% from the floor while shooting 38.5% from three-point range which was the second-highest mark of the season
• Post University is now 0-7 against the University of New Haven in the all-time series, but this marks the first matchup that was decided by less than 10 points as well as that went to overtime 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University finishes off 2024 with a pair of home games starting this weekend at 1:00 PM against Mercy University in the Drubner Center. After winning five of the first six all-time matchups between the two teams, the Eagles have lost back-to-back games against the Mavericks, falling last year on the road by a 66-50 final and then back during the 2019-20 season, 72-69.