Last week, the Chargers faced off against the Franklin Pierce University Ravens for the first conference game of the season and won 81-75.
After finishing the AIC Yellow Jacket Invitational with a record of 1-1, New Haven looked to stay in the win column.
“We prepared by following the script coach gave us days before and bringing the energy,” said guard Jah’Likai King. “It just felt good to get our confidence, our rhythm, our swagger back and bring everything.”
Early in the game, the Chargers and Ravens stood neck and neck exchanging points. New Haven had a 12-point lead over Franklin Pierce midway through the first half until the Ravens’ offense rallied and went into halftime with a two-point advantage over the Chargers. In the second half, both teams rallied against one another until the Chargers took the lead with minutes remaining and didn’t look back.
“We knew what we were doing wrong and during halftime we just needed to talk about the mistakes and what we needed to do to get the win,” said King.
King led the Chargers with 21 points after he shot 7-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from behind the three-point arc. King also went 5-for-6 at the free throw line and had one rebound, an assist and a steal. Guard Seth Sharif-Brown had 18 points, four rebounds and an assist. Forward Ethan Simmon added 11 points for the Chargers and finished the game shooting 2-for-8 from the field and 7-for-8 at the free throw line. Simmon tallied three assists and two rebounds.
In addition to New Haven’s lead scorers, seven other Chargers were able to put points up on the scoreboard. Guard Javel Cherry and forward Ugo Nwachukwu each added seven points. Guard Mohamed Traore scored five points and had six rebounds and two assists. Guard Tristian Jeffries and Najimi George both added four points for New Haven. Jeffries also had three rebounds and an assist. Forwards Tarese Morse and Kyle Kearson each scored two points. Morse added five rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Kearson had four rebounds and two steals.
The Chargers finished 49.1% from the shooting field compared to the Ravens shooting 46.8%. Franklin Pierce shot 30% from behind the three-point arc while New Haven was right behind shooting 29.2%. After 22 personal fouls from the Ravens, the Chargers shot 20-for-30 from the free throw line. New Haven tallied 30 rebounds, ten turnovers, and six steals.
While focusing on one win at a time, King said that the team has the goal of winning it all. He also said that the team will keep that mindset moving forward but take everything day by day.
After the win over the Ravens, New Haven has an overall record of 2-1 and 1-0 in conference play. The Chargers will be back on the court for their home season opener at 7:30 p.m. as they host the Pace University Setters. The game will be held at Jeffrey P. Hazell Athletics Center. For more information, please visit NewHavenChargers.com.
