With the season entering its final stretch, the New Haven men’s basketball team came away with a big conference win on the road against Southern New Hampshire on Saturday. Entering the game, the Penman ranked third in the conference, marking the biggest win of the season for the Chargers up to this point.

The two sides battled in the first half, with the lead changing hands multiple times during the opening 20 minutes. New Haven freshman Jah’Likai King continued his standout season, pouring in 17 points during the first half to pace the Chargers’ offensive attack. Graduate forward Tyler Saint-Furcy added 11 points of his own during the half, helping lead New Haven to a 35-28 lead at the break.

The Chargers held onto their lead throughout much of the second half but were never able to pull away from the Penmen. With just under five minutes left, New Haven extended their lead to eight and looked to put the game away. Southern New Hampshire responded on the offensive end though, with guard Alex Rivera connecting on four three-pointers in a four-minute span to give the Penmen a one-point lead with 26 seconds left.

With time winding down, Saint-Furcy was fouled on a drive to the hoop with seven seconds left, sending him to the line with the opportunity to both tie the game and potentially take the lead. He missed the first free throw, putting on pressure to at least extend the game on the next one. Despite a roaring road crowd, Saint-Furcy was able to sink the free throw and tie the game, giving Southern New Hampshire a final opportunity to win. The Chargers’ defense held strong, forcing a bad shot from guard Matt Becht and sending the game to overtime.

Saint-Furcy took advantage of the extra time, quickly making a jump shot and making two free throws after being sent to the line. With the seconds ticking down, Saint-Furcy drove into the lane and made a contested layup to extend the New Haven lead to three with 16 seconds left. The Penmen still had a chance though, making a mistake by passing up a wide open three and instead taking a layup to give New Haven a one-point lead. An ensuing foul put New Haven’s Sean Braithwaite at the line, where he made both free throws to give New Haven a three-point lead once again.

This would prove to be enough, as Southern New Hampshire did not tie the game with just seconds remaining. With the win, New Haven moves to 8-13 (5-10 NE-10) on the season and notch their second consecutive conference win. The loss drops Southern New Hampshire to 13-7 (9-6 NE-10) and puts them in a tie for third in the conference.

King led the scoring for New Haven, totaling 26 points on an efficient 10-16 from the field. Saint-Furcy added 18 points, while graduate forward Devontrey Thomas rounded out the Chargers in double-figures with 12 points. Freshman forward Tarese Morse also provided a boost off the bench defensively and with his rebounding, hauling in 10 total rebounds and playing crucial minutes in overtime.

New Haven returns to the court on Wednesday as they travel to Adelphi University for another conference matchup, looking to extend their win streak. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and more information along with a broadcast can be found at NewHavenChargers.com.