GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -
Eric Anderson (Newark, N.J./Newark Tech) and
Jonny Ocasio (Queens, N.Y./Charlotte (Fla.) / Hillsborough Community College) scored 14 points each and the University of New Haven men's basketball team held the Saint Anselm Hawks to a season-low in points as the Chargers topped the Hawks 56-52 in a Northeast-10 Conference tilt on Wednesday night.
With the win, New Haven is now 8-5 on the season and has a 3-4 record in the NE-10. Saint Anselm falls to 8-4 with a 5-3 mark in conference.
In addition to the efforts of Anderson and Ocasio,
Jemal Mosley (Spring Valley, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep / Putnam Science Academy) added 13 points to go along with a career-high nine rebounds.
The game was a back-and-forth contest that saw 14 lead changes and neither team holding more than a seven-point advantage throughout. The first 11 minutes were played within two points either way until a three-pointer by Ocasio made it 19-15 New Haven with 8:50 to go in the half. Saint Anselm would follow that shot with back-to-back buckets to go up 20-19. From there, the two teams remained on the seesaw for the remainder of the frame until a pair of Mosley free throws gave the Chargers a 29-26 halftime lead.
After Saint Anselm scored the first two points of the second half, UNH responded with a three by
Tommy Hunt (Smithfield, R.I./St. Andrew's) and a layup by Mosley to go up 34-28. From there, the Hawks went on a 12-2 run to open up their largest lead of the game at 40-36 with 12:09 to go. Undaunted, the Chargers battled back, racing to an 11-0 run of their own, keyed by three layups by Anderson, the second trey of the night from Ocasio and capped by a layup by
Cyrus James (Manchester, Conn./Howell Cheney Tech) to take a 47-40 lead with 8:13 in the game. Saint Anselm continued to battle, but New Haven held the Hawks at bay, maintaining the lead through the final buzzer.
A big key in the victory for the Chargers was their perimeter defense, which held Saint Anselm to just 5-for-27 shooting from three-point range.
New Haven returns to Charger Gymnasium on Saturday when it will face Assumption in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup at 1:30 p.m.