WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven men’s basketball team fell 57-56 Saturday afternoon to St. Anselm College at Charger Gymnasium. With the loss the Chargers fall to 2-15 overall and 2-11 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the Hawks improve to 13-6 overall and 8-5 in the NE-10.
The Chargers jumped out to an early lead over the Hawks on Saturday. Behind seven points from freshman Jeremy Williams, New Haven opened a 13-3 lead at the 15:23 mark. St. Anselm would answer with a 16-2 run to take a four-point 19-15 lead with 9:37 left in the first half. The teams exchanged the lead again two more times in the first half, but UNH went on a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 30-24 lead at halftime.
UNH pushed its lead to nine points, 40-31, six minutes into the second half, but the Hawks would mount a run just minutes later. At the end of a 13-2 run, the Chargers quickly found themselves behind by five, 54-49, with 3:55 remaining. Robert Jamerson sunk a three pointer and a layup to bring the score to even, 54-54, with 2:30 left. The Hawks then made a free throw to take a one-point lead. Two possessions later, Cassius Chaney made a layup to give UNH a one-point lead, 56-55, with 1:38 remaining. Both teams missed baskets, including two by the Chargers, before Greg Vetrano hit a fade-away jumper with 16 seconds left to give St. Anselm a one-point lead. On the Chargers next possession, a tough St. Anselm defense forced a UNH turnover.
The Chargers shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the floor, 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from three-point territory and 25 percent (2-of-8) from the free throw line. The Hawks shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the field, 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the stripe and 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the free throw line.
Jamerson led the Chargers with 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists, while Chaney scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Williams added 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Chargers return to action on Tuesday, January 26 when they travel to Southern New Hampshire University. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. For complete game coverage visit www.newhaven.edu/athletics/livecoverage.
