NEW HAVEN, Conn. -  Ariellys Velez (Watertown, Conn.) scored a career-high 31 points in the Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team's loss to New England College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game in The Nest on Saturday.

Velez shot 12-for-22 from the field with five rebounds and five assists as well.

Adriana DeBernardo (Stratford, Conn.) added 14 points with nine rebounds, five steals and thee blocks on the day.

THE BASICS

FINAL: New England College 61 | Albertus 56

RECORDS: Albertus (1-15, 0-3 GNAC) | NEC (10-5, 1-2 NEC)

BOX

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Velez scored 10 points in the first quarter for the Falcons on 4-for-5 shooting from the field. With the game tied at 16-16 late in the quarter, Velez hit a layup before the buzzer, putting the Falcons ahead 18-16 after the first quarter.
• Albertus led by five points after a layup from Velez, which made it a 23-18 game in the second quarter. However, the Pilgrims  held the Falcons to just seven points in the second quarter and took a 28-25 lead into halftime after a three at the buzzer from Xitlali Montesino.
• Velez scored the first five points in the third quarter for the Falcons, but NEC extended its lead to 41-31 after a jumper from Bailey Burke with 5:54 left. Albertus responded with eight straight points, which included a three from DeBernardo and five straight points from Velez, making it a 41-39 game at the 3:18 mark. The Pilgrims scored the final five points of the quarter, including another three at the buzzer, this time by Jayden Estrada.
• Dejahlee Dogans (Bloomfield, Conn.) hit a three with 6:03 in the fourth that trimmed the Albertus deficit to 48-46. Later in the quarter, Estrada hit another three to put NEC back up 54-48 with 2:38 left. NEC converted free throws down the stretch to hold onto the win.

TEAM STATS

Albertus

36.0 FG% | 33.3 3PT% | 83.3 FT%

NEC

29.7 FG% | 20.6 3PT% | 61.1 FT%

TOP PERFORMERS

Albertus

Ariellys Velez 31 PTS | 12-22 FG | 5 REBS | 5 STLS

Adriana DeBernardo 14 PTS | 9 REBS | 5 STLS | 3 BLKS

NEC

Jayden Estrada 16 PTS | 5-9 FG

Camryn Lewis 12 PTS | 14 REBS

NOTEWORTHY

DeBernardo now has nine games this season scoring in double figures.

UP NEXT

The Falcons host Elms College on Tuesday, January 20th at 5:30 p.m. in a GNAC matchup.