PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The University of New Haven men’s basketball team fell 45-55 Sunday afternoon at Pace University. The Chargers fell to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the Setters improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. UNH led 27-26 at halftime, but struggled with just 18 second-half points in the loss.
The Setters won the opening tip and scored right out of the gate on Sunday. A Justin Exum (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) three-pointer two minutes in tied the game at 3-3, but Pace would regain the lead over the next 11 minutes. With a lead as big as nine points, 18-9, Pace took control of the next 11 minutes. New Haven answered with a 12-0 run over a four minute stretch to take the lead for the first time in the game. A three-pointer by Jeffery Adkins, Jr. with 3:29 left in the first half to take a four-point lead, 24-20. In the final minutes of hte first half both teams exchanged points before Eric Anderson (Newark, N.J./Newark Tech) scored a layup with one second left in the first half, giving the Chargers a 27-26 lead at the break.
New Haven opened the second half with a turnover and the teams then exchanged three-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half. The game’s excitement continued to grow as the second half unfolded. Over the next 15 minutes, the Chargers and Setters kept the game within four points at all times. The score was tied three times, while the lead changed an amazing eight times in 15 mintues. Pace scored a layup in transition with 3:29 left in the second half to take a four-point lead, 49-45. The Setters then went on a 6-0 run to close the game and seal the victory. In the final three minutes, the Chargers went cold from the field, 0-for-6, and turned the ball over once.
New Haven was out-rebounded 39-32 and shot 30.4-percent from the floor in the loss. The Setters doubled New Haven’s points in the paint, 28-14, and held a 13-3 advantage in second chance points.
Exum led the Chargers with 12 points, while Anderson score nine, grabbed 10 boards and tallied three blocks.
New Haven returns to action on Wednesday, November 30 when it hosts Assumption College at Charger Gymnasium. The men’s game is set for tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
