SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Kessly Felizor (Hightstown, N.J./Hightstown) scored a career-high 22 points as part of his fifth double-double of the season as the University of New Haven men's basketball team downed the American International Yellow Jackets 72-69 on a Northeast-10 conference game on Wednesday night. The Chargers are now 12-9 overall and 7-8 in the NE10.
New Haven got off to a hot start thanks to Felizor as he netted nine of the Chargers first 18 points. With the Blue and Gold holding a three point edge midway through the frame, the freshman forward helped lead the Chargers on a 15-4 run in the next five minutes, scoring five points in the spurt and putting New Haven up 33-19. AIC responded, going on a 14-2 run of its own in the final 4:31 of the half, cutting the Chargers lead to 35-33 at the break.
The game remained tight in the early stages of the second half before an 11-3 run, the last nine points coming on two three-pointers from Danny Upchurch (Bridgeport, Conn./Notre Dame Catholic) and one from Joseph Doganiero (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) helped push the New Haven advantage back to nine points at 51-42 just shy of eight minutes into the period. The Blue and Gold had to withstand another Yellow jackets surge as American International tied the game at 57-57 with 4:22 remaining in the contest. On the ensuing possession, Roy Kane, Jr. (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) connected on a spinning reverse layup and was fouled, converting the old fashioned three-point play. After a defensive stop, Michael Bourke (South Orange, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton) connected on a trey. Two plays later, a pair of Kane free throws capped a 10-2 run, reestablishing an eight-point lead for the Blue and Gold. AIC continued to battle, but the Chargers sealed the game at the line, holding on for the victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Felizor notched his fifth double-double of the season behind a career-high 22 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 at the line.
- Upchurch scored 12 points, all of them on three-pointers.
- Michael Bourke (South Orange, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton) had 11 points and connected on the final free throws to seal the contest.
- The Blue and Gold held a 41-30 advantage on the glass.
FIRST HALF NOTES
- After an even first 10 minutes, New Haven used a 15-4 run to take a 33-19 lead on a Felizor layup with 5:13 remaining in the stanza.
- The Yellow Jackets followed with a 14-2 run of their own to cut the lead to two at halftime.
- Felizor had 14 first half points, nearly tying his previous career high.
- The Chargers went 9-for-9 from the free throw line in the frame.
SECOND HALF NOTES
- New Haven used a 11-3 run to extend the lead to 51-42 with 12:11 left in the half. After the teams traded baskets for four minutes, a 9-0 AIC run tied the game at 57-57.
- The Chargers responded immediately, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to push the lead back to 67-69 with 2:14 remaining in the game.
- Felizor led the Blue and Gold with eight points and eight rebounds in the half while Bourke scored seven points in the final 20 minutes.
UP NEXT
New Haven returns home to take on the Saint Rose Golden Knights in a Northeast-10 Conference game for its Coaching for Literacy game on Saturday, Feb. 4. Donations of new and gently used children's books will be accepted at the contest. Tipoff from Charger Gymnasium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
