SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The University of New Haven men's basketball team dropped a 70-66 decision on the road at American International in its first contest of the New Year on Saturday. Leading the Chargers was junior Jemal Mosley (Spring Valley, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep / Putnam Science Academy) who has now scored in double figures in all seven games he has played in this season.

With the loss, New Haven falls to 4-8 overall and 1-5 in the Northeast-10, while the Yellow Jackets secure their first NE-10 win (1-5) and stand at 5-7 overall. The win for AIC was their fourth straight, all of which came on the friendly confines of Butova Gym.

Joining Mosley in leading the Chargers was Najee Larcher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) who finished with nine points on 4-of-6 from the field, while Mosley's 21 points came on 7-of-17 overall, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. He was also a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line.

Overall, eight Chargers who saw time against AIC finished with at least two points with Michael Bourke (South Orange, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton) and Levy Gillespie (Meriden, Conn./Capital Preparatory Magnet) following Mosley and Larcher with eight points apiece. As a team, New Haven finished the game shooting 37.9 percent on 25-of-66, including making 8-of-27 from beyond the three point arc for 29.6 percent. Defensively, New Haven held the Yellow Jackets to just a pair of three pointers, despite their season average of 8.4 per game. The Yellow Jackets did take advantage at the free throw line where they finished 26-of-33.

The Chargers opened up the contest with the first two baskets of the game, taking an early 4-0 lead thanks to layups from Larcher and Tommy Hunt (Smithfield, R.I./St. Andrew's). Mosley would get in on the scoring for the Blue and Gold, putting the next six New Haven points on the board, and regaining a four point, 10-6, lead.

Following a layup from freshman Jacob Pupavac (Geelong, Australia/Belmont), the Yellow Jackets took their first of the lead and held New Haven without a hoop for nearly five minutes before Gillespie came off the bench to break the drought. Gillespie's layup was the first of back-to-back Charger hoops that pulled the visitors within one, 20-19.

Gillespie would again provide a spark for New Haven when he drained the first three pointer of the game for the Blue and Gold, again pulling within one, 23-22. That basket for Gillespie came courtesy of an assist from senior Samir McDaniels (Roxbury, Mass./New Mission).

After the Yellow Jackets gained a nine point lead, the largest of the game to that point, New Haven responded by scoring two of the final three baskets of the half, cutting the deficit to 35-30 at the intermission. The final basket of the half came as a three pointer from Mosley with three seconds remaining, giving him a high for both squads of 11 points at the break.

Coming out of the intermission, the Chargers would score six of the first seven points to tie the game at 36. McDaniels opened the scoring with a baseline drive before Hunt and Pupavac went back-to-back for the game-tying baskets. New Haven's defense opened the half holding AIC without a hoop for nearly five minutes.

The Blue and Gold would again knot the score, this time at 44 following back-to-back baskets from Gillespie and Larcher, the first of which came from beyond the arc for Gillespie. The Yellow Jackets responded to that by scoring 11 of the next 14 points to gain a 55-47 lead before Guddemi put his first points on the board with a layup.

AIC's largest lead of the game came with 3:40 remaining at 63-40 with the Chargers responding with a jumper from Bourke, the first of back-to-back UNH baskets that cut the deficit to 63-56. New Haven would get as close as four on three different occasions late in the game, including a three pointer from Bourke that provided the final margin, 70-66.

The Chargers face their first Northeast-10 Northeast Division opponent when they welcome the Merrimack Warriors to Charger Gymnasium on Wednesday, January 6. Tip off against Merrimack is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. following the women's game. The Chargers will host Class at the Court against Merrimack, welcoming more than 450 West Haven fourth graders for a day of learning and basketball. Complete coverage of Charger men's basketball can be found at www.NewHavenChargers.com.