WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven men’s basketball team dropped a Northeast-10 Conference matchup to Adelphi, 64-59, Wednesday night at Charger Gymnasium. Justin Exum (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) scored a game-high 22 points and Eric Anderson (Newark, N.J./Newark Tech) recorded his 13th double-double (12 points, 15 rebounds), but the Chargers lost their first home game since the season opener back on Nov. 11, 2012.
With the loss, New Haven dropped to 13-7 overall and 10-6 in the Northeast-10 Conference. Adelphi now stands at 11-11 overall and 8-8 in conference play.
Anderson added four blocks and one assist to his stat line, while two other Chargers scored in double figures. Jeffery Adkins (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) scored 12 and Jeremy Williams (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) netted 13 for UNH.
The Panthers scored 13 of the game’s first 21 points to take a 13-8 lead just over eight minutes into the first half. The Chargers fought back over the next seven minutes, including an 8-0 run over a 1:30 stretch. After being fouled on a three-point attempt, Williams went to the line with 5:10 on the clock and connected on all three free throws to put UNH ahead 31-23. The Panthers then went point-for-point with the Chargers over the final five minutes and UNH held a 35-29 lead at halftime.
UNH shot 50 percent from the floor and 58.3 percent from three-point territory in the opening half. The Chargers were out-rebounded 17-12 in the first stanza, while Exum score a first-half high 16 points.
The Chargers continued to lead throughout the first 11 minutes. Exum connected from downtown at the 12:40 mark and New Haven led by eight, 49-41. Adelphi began to chip away at the lead and the Chargers turned the ball over for the next four minutes, allowing the Panthers to even the score at 49-49 with 9:00 left in the second half. The lead then exchanged teams five times before Adelphi took it for good at the 2:33 mark. The game was tied 57-57 before Adelphi closed the game on a 7-2 run and sealed the victory.
Both teams shot under 40 percent from the floor in the second half, but Adelphi shot better from long range, 71.4 percent. The Chargers were out-rebounded 25-15 in the half, while Adkins scored a second-half high 12 points.
On the game, UNH trailed on the boards 42-27, including a 13-3 disadvantage on the offensive glass.
New Haven returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 9 when it travels to Pace University. Tip-off in Pleasantville, N.Y. is set for 3:30 p.m. with the Setters.
