The New Haven men’s basketball team won their fourth consecutive game on Thursday night, battling it out with a tough Bloomfield team and coming with a 74-66 win. Both teams struggled on offense in the first half, setting up a tight back-and-forth second in a well-played all-around game. The Chargers’ win brought them to 6-2 in their last home game before heading into winter break.

Senior forward Ty Perry started the scoring for New Haven with a jumper, finishing with a team-high 20 points. Bloomfield answered with a three from Josh Morris to put them ahead, but their lead quickly disappeared when guard Quashawn Lane sank a jumper to put the Chargers ahead by one.

Both teams struggled in transition, and Bloomfield took the lead back after a layup by Al Fatir Conner set up by a big block by Edward Ngene. After a layup by Perry to make it a one-point game, the offenses continued to struggle and could not sink a shot. The defenses were in full control up to this point in the game, with New Haven holding an 8-7 lead with seven minutes off the game clock.

A steal by center Majur Majak set up his dunk to score his first of 10 points in the game. New Haven’s high-powered offense could not operate like they have all season, faced with full-court coverage from Bloomfield all game, forcing them to make uncomfortable passes under heavy pressure.

After a missed jumper from forward Sean Braithwaite, Bloomfield broke out and cut into the deficit with a layup by Andres Fulgencio. Halfway through the first half, it was still a low-scoring affair, but forward Joshua Hopson got himself on the scorecard with a layup to go ahead by three. Perry added to the lead with his first of four three-pointers, which was also a team-high.

After a timeout taken by New Haven, Fulgencio sank another jumper to make it a two-point game with just over six minutes to play in the half. He continued to haunt the Chargers’ defense with a three to tie the game at 16. Wesley Robinson sank a jumper to put the Bears up by two, but their lead was quickly erased with Majak’s jumper to even the contest again.

Perry added to his strong statline with a dunk and two more threes to keep New Haven in the game, but Bloomfield stuck around with threes from Fulgencio and Tyrek Battle-Holley. The Chargers rattled off six straight points in the final minute of the half to give them a 33-24 lead, their largest lead of the game.

The offenses came alive for both teams in the second half, starting off with another three from Perry and a pair of Bloomfield three-pointers. The Bears continued to put pressure on the Chargers with a good jumper by Conner and another three by Morris, who finished the game with a team-high four three-pointers made.

Forward Davontrey Thomas followed them with his second three of the game to put New Haven ahead by five. The lead was then cut to two after another three by Morris, but guard Victor Olawoye built the lead back up to five after a layup and a free throw after a foul by Conner.

The Bears would go on a seven-point run to tie the game back up at 49 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, forcing the Chargers to take a 30-second timeout. The teams would continue to go back and forth, once again tying the game at 53. Wesley Robinson put Bloomfield ahead once again with a jumper, followed by a 30-second timeout by the team.

After the timeout, Olawoye knocked down a three to give New Haven a one-point lead, which they would hold for the rest of the game. Lane added on with a three of his own and then tacked on two free throws to make it a six-point game. Majak electrified the crowd with a dunk to further separate themselves from the Bears who refused to go down without a fight.

With 33 seconds remaining, Robinson drilled another three to cut the New Haven lead to just three, but that would be the team’s final score of the night. Olawoye and Thomas gave the Chargers a cushion in the closing seconds, and after a steal by Olawoye, he ended the game with a huge dunk to seal the 74-66 win for the Chargers.

New Haven will now head on the road for their final game before the winter break to take on Chestnut Hill in a non-conference matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. as the Chargers will look to win their fifth straight. More information can be found at NewHavenChargers.com.