GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: November 22, 2022
LOCATION: Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium,
Albany, N.Y.
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
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Lead
After coming up just short in a 74-75 loss on the road against the Saint Michael's Purple Knights to begin their season, the University of New Haven men's basketball team rebounded with a dominant 82-64 win over the Adelphi on Saturday. The Chargers jumped out to an early 8-0 lead to start the game and never looked back as they cruised to their first win of the new campaign. The win signaled the Blue & Gold's second straight home-opening win in as many years and their fourth straight victory over conference opponent, Adelphi. The Chargers have been efficient with the ball on offense and look to continue their hot hand as they head to the College of Saint Rose for the first game of a three-game road trip. Tip-off for the third game of the season is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. at Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium in Albany, N.Y. on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Inside the Series
In a young rivalry, the history between the Chargers and the Golden Knights dates back to the 1990-91 season in which they first met on Jan. 10. In the inaugural matchup between the two schools the Chargers defeated the Golden Knights in a high scoring 108-101 contest. This Tuesday will mark the 29th time the two will meet as New Haven trails in the series 11-17, despite winning four of their last five games against Saint Rose. Most recently, Davontrey Thomas (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) led the Chargers with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a triumphant 34 point win back in February.
Scouting the Golden Knights (2-2, 0-1 NE10)
Following a 14-12 (10-9 in conference play) regular season record during the 2021-22 season, the Golden Knights defeated the Southern New Hampshire Penmen in the first round of the Northeast-10 Championship before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by the #20/#13 Bentley Falcons in a 65-93 loss. In a poll of all head coaches, the College of Saint Rose men's basketball team was selected to finish ninth in the Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Poll with 57 points.
The Golden Knights began their season with an exhibition match against nearby UAlbany on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Saint Rose kept the Great Danes close despite falling 66-73, as sophomore guard Matt Constant dropped 25 points.
Starting their regular season on Nov. 12, the Golden Knights hosted the Bloomfield Bears and Dominican (N.Y.) Chargers for the Saint Rose Tip-Off Tournament. Saint Rose picked up a 84-73 over Bloomfield to start the tournament before falling to Dominican, 86-87. The Golden Knights held a 86-81 lead over the Chargers with 14 seconds left in play before a pair of three-pointers, including a last second shot to beat the buzzer, sent Dominican home with a win.
Saint Rose followed their heart-breaking loss with a 87-80 win at home against Georgian Court before falling once more to the Saint Michael's Purple Knights, 70-78, in their first road game and NE10 opener.
Sophomore Shane O'Dell has run the offense for the Golden Knights this season, starting in all four games while averaging 20.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists, all of which are team highs. O'Dell's points per game currently ranks tied for third in the conference while his rebounds per game places him in sole possession of second.
Senior forward Juran Ligonde averages 15 points per game after starting the year off with a 21 point-10 rebound double-double on 9-12 shooting. Keegan Zoller has been the team's three-point threat, connecting on eight of 19 attempts from beyond the arc. The sophomore guard is the third Golden Knight to average double-digit points, entering the matchup with 11.3 points per game. Eric Fleming came off the bench in the team's last outing, tallying 20 points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Through four games, Saint Rose has scored an average of 81.8 points per game, second most in the Northeast-10, while holding opponents to 79.5 points on average. The Golden Knights are shooting 50.4 percent from the floor, 44 percent from beyond the arc, and 74.6 percent from the free-throw line. As a squad, the Golden Knights average 39.3 rebounds while outrebounding their opponents, 157-125. Saint Rose also ranks fourth in assists per game with 15.5, as well as tied for second in blocks with 5.0 per game.
Scouting the Chargers (1-1, 1-1 NE10)
New Haven followed up their season-opening loss against Saint Michael's with an 82-64 win over Adelphi on Saturday afternoon. After jumping out to an early 8-0 lead to start the game, the Chargers refused to let up as they eventually took a commanding 25 point lead on a jumper by Sean Braithwaite (Center Moriches, N.Y./Center Moriches) midway through the third period. While the team saw four Chargers reach double-digit points for the second straight game, it was Thomas who led the offense campaign with 19 points. The junior forward is shooting 60 percent on 12.5 shots per game after sinking seven of his 11 shot attempts, including four three-pointers for the second straight game.
While Thomas led the team in scoring, Victor Olawoye (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial High School) commanded the offense as the graduate guard posted an 18 point, seven rebound, 8 assist performance in the winning effort. After shooting a near perfect 7-8 from the field, missing only one of his four three-point attempts, Olawoye moves up to second in the conference with 78.6 percent of his shots going through the net. Along with teammate Quashawn Lane (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy), Olawoye also tops the leaderboards with an average of 5.5 assists per game. The pair also pulled in seven rebounds, each, in the last game as the Chargers outrebounded the Panthers, 33-31.
The only player with a high field goal percentage than Olawoye is Majur Majak (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./), who has 80 percent of his shots to start the year. The senior center went a perfect 3-3 from the floor, finishing with eight points while pulling down six boards. Following a single-season record 85 blocks last season, Majak already has six through the first two games, swatting away four shots on Saturday.
Ty Perry (Boston, Mass./Brighton) recorded 13 points in the win after dropping 20 in his Chargers' debut, while he continues to crash the board with six rebounds, as well. The transfer guard is currently sixth in the conference with 6.5 rebounds per game.
Graduate Andre Francis (Hartford, Conn./The Master's School) hit a three-pointer towards the end of regulation for his first points this season while newcomer Justin Hendrick (Valley Stream, N.Y./St. Francis) also made his first basket wearing the Blue & Gold.
In addition to outrebounding the Panthers, the Chargers once again dominated inside the paint, outscoring their opponents 92-40 so far. New Haven is shooting a conference-best 54.8 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from deep and 70.8 percent at the line.
When and Where
The New Haven men's basketball team will stay on the road for the second of a three-game road trip, this time taking on non-conference IUP in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Nov. 26. Tip-off is set for 2:00 P.M. at Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex with live play-by-play stats on NewHavenChargers.com.
