New Haven (11-4, 6-3 NE-10) vs. Franklin Pierce (8-6, 5-4 NE-10)
Saturday, Jan. 18 – 3:30 p.m.
West Haven, Conn. – Charger Gymnasium
Live Video | Live Stats
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
Opening Tip
The University of New Haven men's basketball team takes the court against a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time in 2013-14 with a Saturday visit from No. 22 Franklin Pierce. Tip-off from Charger Gymnasium is set for 1:30 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
New Haven led by as many as 22 points and held off high-scoring Saint Michael's to earn a 78-68 win on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in Colchester, Vt.
 
Jeffery Adkins scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, including the bucket that proved to be the game-winner after the Purple Knights had taken a 66-65 lead with 4:22 to play. That deficit marked the latest that New Haven has trailed in an eventual victory this season.
 
Justin Exum added 16 points and six rebounds, Eric Anderson netted 13 and Ashanti DePass went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc en route to 11 points.
 
Cyrus James posted seven points, Jemal Mosley scored five and Jonny Ocasio notched two to round out the scoring.
 
The Chargers shot 8-for-10 from three-point range in the first half as a part of a 19-for-30 (63.3 percent) showing from the floor during the opening 20 minutes of action.
 
Overall, New Haven shot 30-for-59 (50.8 percent) from the field, 9-for-22 (40.9 percent) from three-point range and 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) from the free throw line.
 
The Chargers shot 50 percent or better from the floor for the sixth time this season and committed fewer than 10 turnovers for the fifth time in 2013-14.
 
The Blue and Gold committed seven turnovers and forced eight, while the Purple Knights claimed a 38-35 rebounding edge.
 
New Haven Notes
As of the most recent NCAA report (through games played Jan. 16), New Haven ranks fifth in Division II with 61.1 points per game allowed. The Chargers also slot at eighth in the nation with an opponents' field goal percentage of 37.8 percent and rank 13th in the NCAA with 10.1 turnovers committed per game. The Blue and Gold currently lead the Northeast-10 in all three categories.
 
The Chargers have held 14 of 15 opponents, including their last 12, below their 2013-14 scoring average. The New Haven defensive effort allowed a season-best 42 points to Concordia on Nov. 16 and has limited nine teams to fewer than 60 points.
 
On the offensive end, the Blue and Gold have shot 50 percent or better from the field in six contests. New Haven's most efficient effort was a 27-for-49 (55.1 percent) performance in the Nov. 26 win at American International. The Chargers also buried 8-of-16 attempts from beyond the arc in the 74-52 triumph in Springfield.
 
With a team-leading 21 points on Jan. 8 against Saint Anselm, Jeffery Adkins eclipsed 1,000 points for his career. The senior point guard most recently netted 24 points in Tuesday's win at Saint Michael's to improve his career mark to 1,049 points and climb to 31st all-time in scoring at New Haven.
 
This winter, Adkins is averaging a team-leading 15.7 points and 4.1 assists per contest this season while shooting 53.4 percent from the floor. He has also moved into seventh all-time in assists at New Haven with 330 and 12th place in career steals at 122.
 
Justin Exum knocked down two three-pointers on Tuesday to improve his New Haven program record to 258 treys after recently surpassing the mark of 251 triples established by Mike Grove from 1989-93. Exum's career .377 shooting percentage from distance is the sixth-best in program history.
 
Exum also ranks 12th all-time in scoring at New Haven with 1,428 career points. The Chargers' leading scorer for the third straight season with 15.5 points per game, he is 199 tallies shy of the program's all-time top 10.
 
With Adkins joining Exum in the 33-member 1,000-Point Club at New Haven, the Chargers boast two active 1,000-point scorers for the first time since Jamaal Brooks (1,248) and Ismael Caro (1,099) shared the court in the 2003-04 campaign.
 
Based upon his current scoring average, Eric Anderson could also reach the 1,000-point plateau during the 2013-14 regular season. The junior has accumulated 850 total points for the Blue and Gold.
 
This season, Anderson averages 15.0 points and ranks second in the Northeast-10 with 11.3 rebounds per game. The reigning NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year, who tops the conference with 2.7 blocked shots per contest, is seventh in the nation on the boards and 12th in rejections. Anderson has posted 10 double-doubles this season, three behind the national leaders (Josh Gibbs, Central Oklahoma and Aaron Nelson, Southern Indiana).
 
In the midst of his junior season, Anderson has climbed into fourth all-time at New Haven with 162 rejections. His 71 blocks in 2012-13 were the second-most in a single-season in Charger history, tied with Bill Jeffress' 71 blocks and two shy of Herb Watkins' 73 rejections - both from the 1986-87 campaign.
 
Including an 11-point, 12-rebound effort last Saturday, Cyrus James has recorded the first two double-doubles of his career this season. He is New Haven's most-efficient scorer this season at 41-for-72 (56.9 percent) from the floor en route to 6.6 points to go along with 8.1 rebounds per game. James ranks sixth in the NE-10 in rebounds and seventh in blocked shots (1.47 bpg) per contest.
 
In his first season as a member of the starting lineup for Head Coach Ted Hotaling, Ashanti DePass is netting 10.5 points per game. The senior leads the team with 30 made three-pointers and converts 39.5 percent of his attempts from distance while playing 32.5 minutes per outing.
 
Up Next
The Chargers remain home for a 5:30 p.m. visit from Bentley on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The contest will be broadcast live in high definition and free of charge on NewHavenChargers.com.