WEST HAVEN, Conn. – University of New Haven freshman forward Kessly Felizor (Hightstown, N.J./Hightstown) posted his third straight double double, leading the Chargers in a 72-64 loss to fellow Nutmeg State rival Bridgeport on Monday night at Charger Gym. Felizor closed out the night with 19 points and 13 rebounds which led all players in the game.

The rookie, Felizor finished the game shooting 75 percent from the field, making 8-of-12 field goal attempts, while also connecting on three of four attempts at the line. He was joined in double figures by classmate Roy Kane, Jr. (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) and junior Mihailo Vasic (Novi Sad, Serbia) who finished with 13 and 10 points respectively.

As a team, the Chargers combined to shoot 38.5 percent on the night, making 25-of-65 field goal attempts with three coming from outside the three point arc. New Haven also finished 11-of-14 at the free throw line. In addition to Felizor's hot shooting hand, Kane finished his night making all but two of his seven field goal attempts, one of which came from long range, while also making both of his free throw attempts.

Felizor's game-high 13 rebounds included six on the offensive glass as New Haven combined for 19 second chance points, while eight different players joined Felizor in the rebounding efforts. As a team, the Chargers and Purple Knights finished in a 36-36 deadlock in the battle of the boards with Vasic following Felizor individually with five.

FIRST HALF NOTES

·         The Chargers opened the scoring in the game with a jumper from Kane on the opening possession of the night. After a three pointer for the Purple Knights, the Blue and Gold went on to build an eight point lead using an 11-2 run over the next four-plus minutes. During that run, the Charger had a stretch where they made 4-of-5 attempts from the field.

·         New Haven built its lead to as much as nine on two occasions in the first half, the second of which came with just over 10 minutes remaining before the intermission thanks to a layup from sophomore Najee Larcher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) off a feed from Michael Bourke (South Orange, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton).

·         Despite the Purple Knights making a run at the Chargers, New Haven wouldn't relinquish its lead until the final 90 seconds of the half when a Bridgeport basket provided a 31-29 lead and the final margin at the break.

·         Six different Chargers provided scoring in the opening half led by Kane who finished with nine points, shooting 4-of-6 in the first half. Classmate's Elijah Bailey (Freeport, N.Y./The Hotchkiss School) and Felizor following him with seven and six points, respectively.

·         As a team, New Haven shot 41.9 percent from the field, making 13-of-31 field goal attempts, including three from beyond the three point arc. New Haven also combined for nine total assists on those 13 baskets.

SECOND HALF NOTES

·         Coming out of the half, the Chargers would again net the first points, this time thanks to a layup from Vasic just 15 seconds into the action. This time however, the Purple Knights responded by building a nine point lead over the next four minutes and held on to that advantage the remainder of the contest.

·         New Haven trailed by as much as 16 points in the second half before chipping into that deficit and pulling within five points with just under a minute remaining. Defensively, the Chargers did hold the Purple Knights to just one field goal in the final two minutes, however Bridgeport capitalized on the line to hold off the Chargers late rally.

·         Felizor led all scorers in the second half as he finished with 13 points on a 5-of-7 shooting effort. Joining him in scoring double figures for New Haven over the final 20 minutes was Vasic who scored all 10 of his points in 10 minutes of action during the second half.

·         As a team, New Haven shot 35.3 percent from the field, making 12-of-34 field goal attempts, but finished without a three pointer in six attempts. The Chargers also saw all of their free throw attempts on the night come in the second half, finishing 11-of-14.

·         The Blue and Gold did hold a 22-15 rebounding advantage in the second half with Felizor pulling down nine boards, including five on the offensive glass.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·         The double double for Felizor was his third straight as he is now averaging 18.7 points and 12.3 boards over that stretch. This latest double double for the rookie post players comes after being named NE10 Rookie of the Week on Monday morning, his third such honor over the last four weeks. He also now leads New Haven with seven double doubles on the year.

·         Junior point guard Danny Upchurch (Bridgeport, Conn./Notre Dame Catholic) finished with six assists on the night, his 19th game of the season dishing out five or more helpers. For the season, Upchurch now has 134 assists and stands 14 shy of reaching the top-10 for a single season.

·         Defensively, New Haven held the Purple Knights 12 points shy of their season average of 84.6 points which is the second best in the East Coast Conference.  

NEXT ON TAP
New Haven returns to NE10 action to begin the final stretch of the regular with just four games before the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. The first of those contests will come away from the friendly confines of Charger Gym as New Haven travels to Garden City, N.Y. for a date with the Adelphi Panthers on Saturday, February 11. Tip off from the Center for Recreation and Sport is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.