GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: December 6, 2022 LOCATION: Charger Gymnasium, West Haven, Conn. GAME DAY LINKS LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

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Lead
The University of New Haven men's basketball returned home on Saturday, for just the second time this season, where they edged out the Franklin Pierce Ravens in a 67-56 win after going on a 13-2 run in the final three minutes of the game. Of the seven three-pointers that the Chargers made, two of them came from the senior center Majur Majak (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./), whose second three-pointer came at a crucial time in a two-point game to foil the Ravens' surging comeback attempt.
With the win over Franklin Pierce, the Chargers stay atop of the NE10 standings with a 4-1 conference record as they look to extend their win streak when hosting the Assumption Greyhounds on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Tip-off for the seventh game of the season is scheduled for 7:00 P.M.at Charger Gymnasium.

Inside the Series 
This Tuesday marks the 27th meeting between these two conference foes as the Chargers enter with a 16-10 lead in the all-time series. Despite dropping the inaugural game on Feb. 10, 1980, New Haven enters the matchup on a nine-game winning streak over the Greyhounds. Quashawn Lane (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy) sunk a last second free throw as the Chargers edged out Assumption in a 65-64 nail biter when they last met on Jan. 22, 2022.

Scouting the Greyhounds (4-3, 1-2 NE10)
The Assumption Greyhounds finished the 2021-22 regular season with an 11-12 record before defeating the Adelphi Panthers, 80-69, in the Northeast-10 Championship. The G'Hounds season came to an end when they fell to the Franklin Pierce Ravens in the the Quarterfinals  73-86.

As voted on by all 13 head coaches throughout the conference, the Assumption men's basketball team was selected ninth in the Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Poll with 57 points.

The Hounds started their season 2-0 after beating the Caldwell Cougars and Chestnut Hill Griffins in the Assumption Tip-Off Classic. Junior Isiah Gaiter led the team to a 85-65 win over Chestnut Hill, their largest margin of victory so far this season, as the guard put up a season-high 23 points on 84.6 percent shooting while also grabbing eight boards.

In their first road game of the year, Assumption fell to the Dominican Chargers, 78-80 in a tightly contested battle before returning home against Franklin Pierce for the 100th Anniversary of Assumption Men's Basketball. In their conference opener, the Greyhounds were unable to recovery after a late three-pointer by the Ravens capped off a 16 point comeback to give Franklin Pierce a 78-74 victory.

After falling to the American International Yellow Jackets in overtime on Nov. 22, the Hounds broke a three-game skid with a 60-57 win over non-conference Molloy. Assumption enters Tuesday's game on a two-game win streak after outlasting the Saint Michael's Purple Knights in a 68-67 victory last Wednesday.

Gaiter and junior forward Cooper Creek both average 14+ points per game, in addition to a team-leading 7.6 rebounds each, as the former has been the team's lead scorer with 100 total points. Creek has been a threat from beyond the arc, making 20 of his 49 attempts for a 40.8 three-point percentage, while his 20 three-pointers are tied for fifth in the conference. Creek has also been a dominant force on the other end, tallying six steals and eight blocks on the campaign. Gaiter, who leads the team in points and rebounds, also leads in assists with 26, tied for ninth in the NE-10.

Kani Glover and Kjavan Stewart average 10.9 & 10.4 ppg, respectively, as four of the Assumption starters average double-digit points ahead of the match. The sophomore forward from Iceland, Rapolas Buivydas, appeared off the bench in the last two games, averaging 10 points and 5.5 rebounds. The duo has gone 25-of-62 from deep as the G'Hounds, as a team, have gone 67-of-181 from beyond the arc while their 37 percent three-point shooting ranks fifth in the Northeast-10. 

Through seven games, Assumption has scored an average of 74.7 points per game, fourth in the conference, while holding opponents to 71.0 points on average. The Hounds are shooting 42.2 percent from the floor, 37 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.7 percent from the free-throw line. As a squad, the Greyhounds average 38.7 rebounds while ranking ninth in assists per game with 13.1, as well as 11th in steals with 5.4 per game. 

Scouting the Chargers (4-2, 4-1 NE10)
The Chargers enter the matchup on a two-game win streak, as well, after foiling a Franklin Pierce comeback attempt in a 67-56 win on Saturday afternoon. The Chargers hit three three-pointers in the final two minutes, including one of Majak's two three-pointers in the game. In a two-point game, Majak drained a crucial three before Davontrey Thomas (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) put the team up six after hitting a turnaround three with the shot clock expiring. With the win, the Chargers have now won seven of their last eight over the Ravens and even the series total as both teams have now won 25 games each.

Leading the Chargers on the night with 15 points was Thomas, who has scored 14+ points in every game to start the season. The junior forward, who tied a career-high with five three-pointers against AIC, drained another three three-pointers in the winning effort as he continues to lead the conference with 3.7 three-pointers per game.

Ty Perry (Boston, Mass./Brighton) and Majak both finished with exactly 14 points while the former of the two put up six field goals on 13 attempts.  Majak recorded his second double-double of the year after finishing with 10 rebounds, his fourth straight game with double-digit boards. The senior's gamble of his conference leading field goal percentage paid off as the center went 2-2 from deep after starting his career 0-7. Majak continues to lead the team and the NE10 with a 75 percent shooting percentage after finishing 5-of-6 on Saturday. The senior center is also second in rebounds, 9.2 per game, and first in blocks with 15.

Lane, who sunk a last second three to cap off the victory, finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting while tallying six assists, as well. Fellow guard Victor Olawoye (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial High School), pulled in six rebounds to go with nine points while also coming away with two steals. His 1.8 steals per game ranks fourth in the conference while he sits just shy of second in assists with 4.3 per game.

Despite outscoring the Ravens in the paint, 32-16, the Chargers drew even with the Ravens on the board with 40 rebounds each. Led by Majak, who finished with five blocks, New Haven forced 10 turnovers, converting them into seven points on offense.

The New Haven defense was still as persistent as it's been all year, holding Franklin Pierce to 20-of-62 shooting (32.3 percent) while also limiting them to making ten of their 33 three-point attempts (30.3%). The team ranks second in the Northeast-10 in field goal defense while taking the top spot in three-point defense, as they have held opponents to 31 percent shooting from beyond the arc. On the other end, the offense averages 72.2 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting, second most in the conference.

When and Where 
Now 4-2 on the season (4-1 in conference play), the University of New Haven men's basketball team will stay at Charger Gymnasium to close out their home stand with the Bloomfield Bears. The return to non-conference play is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:00 P.M.with live play-by-play stats on NewHavenChargers.com and coverage on Chargers Sports Network.