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WEST HAVEN, CONN. - Looking to put the disheartening 75-74 season-opening loss against Saint Michael's behind them, the University of New Haven men's basketball team came alive in their 82-64 win over Adelphi in their home-opener.

After falling behind 0-6 in the first game of the season, the Chargers flipped the script tonight, taking an early 8-0 lead over the Panthers. During that span, New Haven saw four different Chargers score a basket, including Victor Olawoye (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial High School), who also assisted on two of those shots.
 
The Panthers answered with a pair of three-pointers from Andrew Delaney and Ronnie Silva before Quashawn Lane (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy) laid it in to regain a two possession lead. Davontrey Thomas (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie), who tied Ty Perry (Boston, Mass./Brighton) for a team-high 20 points last contest, connected on a three-pointer from a pass from Olawoye before scoring less than a minute later on a layup, also on an assist from graduate guard. Less than six minutes into the game, Olawoye dished out four assists on his way to five first-half assists.  

Freshman Justin Hendrick (Valley Stream, N.Y./St. Francis) scored his first career basket as a member of the Chargers while transfer Jason Edokpayi (Laurel, Md./Mount St. Joseph) pulled down an defensive rebound after Adelphi's Silva misfired from beyond the arc.

Fifth-man Sean Braithwaite (Center Moriches, N.Y./Center Moriches) made his first shot attempt, a layup off a feed from Olawoye, before returning the favor on a three-pointer from the latter on the very next possession. His three-pointer gave the Chargers an early double-digit lead but after Adelphi buried a three of their own, Olawoye connected again, this time on a pass from Perry.

Looking to hold a 32-46 advantage going into the half, resident shot block Majur Majak (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./) did what he does best and swatted away a dunk attempt by Delaney with 22 seconds left. Majak, who also pulled in three boards in the half, entered the matchup with a pair of blocks on the stat sheet already.

A trio of Chargers scored double-digit points in the opening half, led by Lane, who scored 13 points. Olawoye and Thomas followed close behind with 10 each while the former also tallied five boards to pair with his five assists. As a squad, New Haven shot 29-29 (69 percent) in the first 20 minutes of play while draining three of their six shots from beyond the perimeter. The Blue & Gold controlled the paint, outrebounding the Panthers, 15-13 while also outscoring them, 32-4, down low.

Following his third rebound of the afternoon, Perry hit a pair of free throws to kick off the second half. 50 seconds later, Perry struck again with a layup off the pass from Olawoye, giving the graduate guard his sixth assist before he took it to the rim himself. The layup by Olawoye with 17:39 on the clock gave the Chargers a 20 point lead over the Panthers but Thomas looked to add even more as he connected once more on a three-pointer.

Perry, the team's leading rebounder to start the season, pulled in his fifth of the game before the team transitioned quickly into offense on the other end as Majak slammed home a pass from Lane for an emphatic dunk

Checking in with 14:49 left in the closing half, Braithwaite scored nearly immediately, as his hook shot basket gave the Chargers their largest lead of the game, 61-36.

With the victory practically already in the books, Head Coach Ted Hotaling turned to his bench to close out the final minutes of play. As the time dwindled down, Andre Francis (Hartford, Conn./The Master's School) capped off New Haven's dominant game with a three-pointer to secure the 82-64 win. This was the most points scored in a game by the Chargers since their 84-55 win over Franklin Pierce back on Feb 14. The 18 point victory was also their fourth straight win over the Panthers, having defeated them by 17 points in last year's matchup.

Thomas led the New Haven scorers with 19 points, one shy tying his season-high, while Olawoye fell short of a triple-double with a career-high 18 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds. Lane and Perry rounded out the rest of the double-digit scorers with 15 & 13, respectively.

The Chargers have been efficient with scoring opportunities so far this season, shooting 33-55 (60 percent) from the floor tonight, after finishing last game with an even 50 percent shooting percentage. New Haven also went 8-18 (44.4 percent) from the arc and 8-12 (66.7 percent) from the line. For the second straight game, New Haven outrebounded their opponents, 33-31, while also outscoring them in the paint, 48-18.

The defense, which racked up seven steals and four blocks, held the visiting Panthers to 23-61 shooting (37.7 percent) as well as 12-39 (30.8 percent) from deep.

Coming off a 10-3 record at home last season, the Blue & Gold start the new season 1-0 at home (1-1 overall), winning their second straight home-opener. The University of New Haven men's basketball team will travel for an extended road trip, starting with the Saint Rose Golden Knights on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tip off for the game is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. at Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.