NEW LONDON, N.H. - The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Colby-Sawyer College in its regular season finale, 72-69 on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action.

Ariellys Velez (Watertown, Conn.) scored a game-high 24 points with four rebounds and five steals. Ava Johnson (North Haven, Conn.) notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

Adriana DeBernardo (Stratford, Conn.) had 12 points and eight rebounds while Isabella Fiorillo (West Haven, Conn.) scored 13 points with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

Dejahlee Dogans (Bloomfield, Conn.) scored nine points, including four clutch free throws in the final minute of the game to complete the Albertus comeback.

The Falcons trailed 39-30 at halftime and were behind by as much as seven points in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons have won five of their last six games.

Albertus, seeded sixth, will take on third-seeded Regis on the road in the quarterfinals of the GNAC conference tournament at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24th.

THE BASICS

FINAL: Albertus 72 | Colby-Sawyer 69

RECORDS: Albertus (8-17, 7-5 GNAC) | Colby-Sawyer (9-16, 4-8 GNAC)

BOX

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Velez scored the first six points for the Falcons, matching two threes by Tanner Drury and Makenna Grillone of Colby-Sawyer as the two teams were tied 6-6 early on. After another three by Drury put the Chargers ahead, 9-8, the Falcons went on an 8-2 run to take a 16-11 lead as Velez, Johnson and DeBernardo each had field goals during the run. The Chargers hit two more threes in the quarter, including one more by Drury as the teams were tied, 19-19 after the first quarter. Velez had eight of the points for the Falcons, while Drury had nine for the Chargers.
• Back-to-back baskets by Fiorillo - including one on a fastbreak after a steal from Velez -  put the Falcons ahead 23-19 at the 6:34 mark of the second quarter. The Chargers followed with a 9-2 run as four different players scored for them to take a 28-25 lead. DeBernardo scored four more points for the Falcons, but an 8-1 run over the final 2:01 - including a three in the final seconds of the half by Emily Leonard - put the Chargers ahead 39-30 at halftime.
• Albertus cut its deficit to 43-39 at the 6:30 mark of the third quarter as four of the five starters each had a basket during the opening run, including a three-point play by Velez. A layup from Johnson closed the gap to 46-44, but four straight points from the Chargers put them back ahead 50-44. After another three by Drury put the Chargers ahead 55-48 with 1:10 left, Velez made a layup on the ensuing possession to cut the deficit to five points. She then stole the ball on the next Colby-Sawyer possession and went coast-to-coast for a layup. After another turnover by the Chargers, Fiorillo drew a foul with 0.6 seconds left and hit a free throw as Albertus trailed just 55-53 heading to the fourth.
• The Chargers took a 66-59 lead at the 6:01 mark of the fourth, but Fiorillo responded with a three to cut the deficit to four points. The next two minutes remained scoreless, but back-to-back baskets by Velez and Fiorillo tied the game at 66-66 with 3:03 left. The Chargers missed a three on the ensuing possession, and Velez found DeBernardo on the other end of the court for a layup as the Falcons took their first lead of the second half at 68-66. With 2:08 left, the Chargers scored their first points in nearly four minutes after a three from Taylor Fellows gave them the 69-68.
• With under a minute remaining, Dogans drew a foul on her way to the basket and made both free throws to put Albertus up 70-69. On the final possession for Colby-Sawyer, Elyza Mitchell missed a contested layup and Dogans grabbed the rebound. She made the final two free throws to seal the win.

TEAM STATS

Albertus

39.7 FG% | 7.7 3PT% | 61.9 FT%

Colby-Sawyer

43.5 FG% | 33.3 3PT% | 55.6 FT%

TOP PERFORMERS

Albertus

Ariellys Velez 24 PTS | 4 REBS | 5 STLS

Ava Johnson 14 PTS | 10 REBS | 6-11 FG

Adriana DeBernardo 12 PTS | 8 REBS

Isabella Fiorillo 13 PTS | 5 REBS | 3 ASTS | 3 STLS

Dejahlee Dogans 9 PTS | 7-8 FT

Colby-Sawyer

Lauren MacDonald 22 PTS | 9-12 FG | 6 REBS | 6 ASTS

Elyza Mitchell 16 PTS | 12 REBS

Tanner Drury 15 PTS | 5-13 3PT | 7 REBS

NOTEWORTHY

• Velez has 11 gams with 20 or more points this season.
• The Falcons are 13-1 all-time against the Chargers and have won the last 10 games in the matchup. 
• Johnson has six double-doubles on the season including her last two games.