WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven men's basketball team was unable to overcome a hot-shooting Le Moyne team on Wednesday evening as the visiting Dolphins came away with a 79-71 decision in the Chargers' Northeast-10 opener. Justin Exum (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) netted a team-leading 18 points for New Haven.
 
The Chargers fall to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the NE-10, while Le Moyne moves to 2-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.
 
Exum shot 6-for-9 from the floor, including two three-pointers on four attempts, and knocked down all four of his free throws to rack up 18 points. Cyrus James (Manchester, Conn./Howell Cheney Tech) added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Jemal Mosley (Spring Valley, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep / Putnam Science Academy) scored 12 points in 25 minutes off the New Haven bench.
 
As a unit, the Chargers shot 26-for-60 (43.3 percent) from the field, 5-for-17 (19.4 percent) from distance and 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Le Moyne went 31-for-52 (59.6 percent) from the floor and 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from downtown, including seven of their first 10 attempts from three-point range. The Dolphins added nine free throws on 11 attempts (81.8 percent). Nate Champion had a game-best 20 points for Le Moyne, which had five players in double figures and a sixth with eight tallies.

New Haven and Le Moyne played close over the first 10 minutes of the opening half. The score was tied twice and the lead changed hands four times during the stretch. James sunk a jumper at the 10:09 mark to bring the Chargers within one at 17-16. The Dolphins held on to the advantage for the rest of the first half, taking a nine-point 34-25 lead with 2:58 left. Le Moyne held a 31-38 lead at the break.

The Chargers came as close as four points in the second half, but never took the lead. A 11-7 run to open the half gave the Dolphins their largest lead of the game at 50-38 with 16:39 left. New Haven boasted a pair of runs in the second half to bring the score within four points, but Le Moyne staved off the attack and sealed the game down the stretch. A pair of free throws in the final second gave the Dolphins an eight point victory, 79-71.

New Haven returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 when it travels to Pace University for another NE-10 Southwest Division matchup. Game time Goldstein Health, Fitness & Recreation Center is set for 3:30 p.m.