The New Haven men’s basketball team opened up their home schedule with a big win over Adelphi University, winning 82-64. It was an all-around team win for the Chargers, who were able to bounce back from their opening night loss against Saint Michael’s to put themselves in the win column.

New Haven got off to a hot start on offense with eight unanswered points on layups by guards Quashawn Lane and Victor Olawoye, forward Tyrone Perry and a jumper by center Majur Majak. Adelphi would cut their deficit to two, but the Chargers’ offense got rolling once again after another layup by Lane and a three-pointer by forward Davontrey Thomas, who finished with a team-high 19 points.

They would continue adding to their early lead after another basket from Thomas, a jumper from Lane and a layup by guard Justin Hendrick to extend their lead to 10 just seven minutes into the game. New Haven would not stop applying pressure on the Panthers with the help of great defense and two big three-pointers by Olawoye to stretch the lead to 13.

Adelphi played from behind the entire game, as they did not have any answers for New Haven’s explosive offense and did not hold a lead at any point throughout the game. They would cut the deficit to seven after two three-pointers from Ronnie Silva and a jumper by Dayshaun Walton with five minutes remaining in the half.

This would not last, as New Haven found their offensive stride again to build their lead back up in the closing minutes of the first half. They would score 10 of the last 15 points of the half, giving themselves a comfortable 46-32 lead over Adelphi entering the second half.

Perry got the scoring started in the second half for New Haven with two free throws and a fastbreak layup after a steal by Lane, picking up right where they left off to add to their already sizable lead. After a timeout, Adelphi started with the ball, and a big block by Majak on a jumper by Aristotelis Sotiriou set up a breakout play for the Chargers, capped off by a layup by Olawoye gave New Haven a 20-point lead.

Adelphi could not make a dent in the lead they were chasing, but they were able to respond after a steal and a knockdown jumper by Walton. They would cut the lead to 18 with scores from Sotiriou and Walton, capped off with a three by Jake Hlywiak on a fastbreak.

New Haven’s defense continued to stand strong, forcing consecutive missed shots by Adelphi, letting their offense get back to work with two good free throws by Majak and a knockdown three from Olawoye to bring him to 18 points on the game. Thomas would follow him up with two threes of his own, his third and fourth for the contest.

Walton and Mason Jackson each hit a layup for Adelphi in the closing minutes to bring the deficit down to 15, but a three by forward Andre Francis with 22 seconds remaining to finish off the scoring and give New Haven a big 82-64 win in the 2022-2023 home opener.

The Chargers will now start a week-long road trip, starting in Albany, NY when they take on Saint Rose on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as they look to build upon their big win at home. More information can be found at NewHavenChargers.com.