COLCHESTER, Vt. – Tommy Hunt (Smithfield, R.I./St. Andrew's) scored a career-high 24 points, but the University of New Haven men's basketball team fell to the Saint Michael's Purple Knights 61-53 in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup on Tuesday night.
 
With the win Saint Michael's is 4-14 overall with a 2-11 record in the NE-10. The Chargers are 6-13 with a 3-10 conference mark.
 
In addition to Hunt's career-high total, Michael Bourke (South Orange, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton) netted 11 for the Blue and Gold.
 
Early on, Hunt shouldered the load for New Haven, scoring 19 of the team's first 21 points during the opening 10 minutes of the game as the Chargers built a 21-11 advantage with 9:51 left in the first half. The Purple Knights found their stride midway through the frame, using a 14-2 run to take a 25-23 lead with 4:25 remaining.  Another trey by Hunt, his sixth of the half, put New Haven on top before the two teams went into halftime tied at 31-31.
 
In the second half, after the Blue and Gold took a 36-35 lead on a Hunt layup, Saint Michael's went on a 12-0 run in a four minute stretch to take a 47-36 lead at the 11:37 mark.  The Chargers battled, cutting the lead to eight on a trio of occasions, but Saint Michael's maintained down the stretch for the win.
 
The Chargers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 30 when they take on Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 Conference game. Tipoff at Charger Gymnasium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.