Following a tough loss against Southern Connecticut on Wednesday, the Chargers hosted the Yellow Jackets of American International College on Saturday, hoping to break a three-game losing streak. New Haven also honored their graduating seniors before the game, and then took the court ready to fight for a win on Senior Day. The seniors honored for the Chargers were Sean Braithwaite, Davontrey Thomas and Tyler Saint-Furcy.
The Chargers dominated early, jumping ahead at the start of the game and holding the lead throughout the first half. New Haven only fell behind once, with a shallow two-point hole that they soon reversed as they pushed offensively. With a 15-point lead at the half, New Haven refused to step off the gas, leading over the Yellow Jackets for nearly 37 minutes of the game. Despite a late attempt at a comeback from American International, the Chargers still obtained the 74-68 win.
Thomas led the scoring for the Chargers and was also the top-scorer of the game. Finishing with a season-high 26 points, Thomas dominated offensively, making this his fourth game where he surpassed 20 points. Overall, Thomas finished shooting 6-of-13 from the field with half of those six coming from outside the three-point arc.
Following Thomas and also surpassing the 20-point mark was forward Ethan Simmon, who tallied 21 points for the blue and gold. Simmon finished the game shooting 7-of-13 from the field with a pair of three-pointers and was also 5-of-7 at the free throw line. Other leading scorers for New Haven included guard Jah’Likai King who added 12, Braithwaite who added seven and Josh Hopson who tallied six. Additionally, Saint-Furcy added to the scoreboard with two points.
Hopson led in rebounds for the Chargers, pulling down 16 as the Chargers dominated on the boards with a 34-29 margin. King led the team in assists, tallying four and following Hopson in the rebound column, where he also added four.
As a team, New Haven finished the game shooting 45.8% from the field, narrowly beating the Yellow Jackets’ 45%. Overall, New Haven connected on 22-of-48 attempts with eight of those 22 coming from behind the three-point arc. Additionally, the Chargers connected on 22-of-30 attempts at the free throw line, finishing shooting 73.3% on free throws.
After the win on Saturday, New Haven improved to a 9-16 overall record and a 6-of-13 record in the Northeast-10 conference. The Chargers will travel for their next two games, with trips to New Hampshire and New York next up on the schedule. New Haven will take on the Saint Anselm Hawks in Manchester, NH on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at the Stoutenburgh Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. For more information on both past and upcoming games, visit NewHavenChargers.com.