BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – Sophomore Levy Gillespie (Meriden, Conn./Capital Preparatory Magnet) provided a key second half spark, including 11 straight points for the Chargers, as the University of New Haven men's basketball team scored a 69-55 road win over the Concordia Clippers on Wednesday night. With the win, the Chargers improve to 3-5 overall.
For the game, Gillespie finished with 18 points tying junior Jemal Mosley (Spring Valley, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep / Putnam Science Academy) for the game-high among all players. The 18 points for Mosley is his sixth game, in as many played, in double figures, while he has now led the team in scoring four times. Gillespie's 18 points represent his fifth game of the season in double figures while he has led the team in scoring twice.
Joining Mosley and Gillespie in double figures was senior Samir McDaniels (Roxbury, Mass./New Mission) who finished with 13 points including a three pointer late in the second half that gave New Haven 10 total for the game. The 10 three pointers for the Blue and Gold is the third time this season with double figures from long range.
As a team, New Haven finished the night shooting 48.1 percent, making 26-of-54 field goal attempts. The 10 three pointers came on 26 attempts for a 38.5 percent average, while they also finished 7-of-11 at the free throw line.
Among the three leading scorers, McDaniels had the hottest touch individually as he missed just one of his six attempts from the field, which included making both attempts from beyond the three point arc. New Haven also led the battle of the boards with a 36-29 margin, led by senior Joshua Guddemi (Nottingham, England/Derby) who finished with his first career double digit rebounding game closing out the night with 11 boards.
After a first 10 minutes that saw four lead changes and four ties, the Chargers pushed their lead into double digits, rattling off 15 unanswered points. A three pointers from Jayson Cethoute (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) with just over three minutes provided the largest lead of the half at 17, 32-15.
Concordia would chip into that lead scoring eight of the next 10 points but could never break the double digit barrier. Mosley broke that momentum for the Clippers with a three pointer that put New Haven back ahead by 15, 38-23, with 3:38 remaining.
The Clippers responded to that bucket by scoring the next four-straight but couldn't break the double digit barrier. The Chargers final points of the half came from McDaniels, while neither team would score in the final 70 seconds providing the difference at the break, 40-29.
Overall, New Haven finished the first half shooting 46 percent from the field on 17-of-37, with five of those baskets from beyond the three point arc. Leading the way was Mosley who finished with 11 points including a trio of three's, while freshman Najee Larcher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) added eight points including back-to-back buckets that resulted in the first lead for the Blue and Gold at 8-7. Overall, seven of the eight Chargers who played in the first half scored at least two points.
McDaniels would push his game total into double figures when he opened the second half scoring six of the Chargers first eight points in the period, giving him 10 total for the night. Included in his six points was a three pointer, his third-straight game with a bucket from beyond the arc.
The Chargers responded to a nine point rally by Concordia, which broke the double digit lead for the first time since the opening half, with three straight points from Mosley. The final three points came on a drive to the hoop and pushed the UNH lead back to eight, 51-43, with 8:09 remaining.
After Concordia again rattled off back-to-back hoops, Gillespie turned up the heat with back-to-back three pointers that extended the Blue and Gold lead back to double figures at 57-46 with 5:15 remaining. Both of those hoops for Gillespie came on feeds from Mosley.
Broken up by a three pointer from the Clippers, Gillespie kept the hot hand going by scoring the next five points, the last three of which came on his third three pointer in less than a two minute span. That bucket also came off a pass from Mosley and provided a 62-49 lead with 3:18 remaining.
The Chargers continue a stretch of three-straight non-conference road games with a match up against Georgian Court on Friday, December 18. New Haven and Georgian Court will meet at the Wellness Center in Lakewood, N.J. with the opening tip set for 6:00 p.m.
