ALBANY, N.Y. – Continuing its season opening two-game tip-off tournament hosted by the Saint Rose Golden Knights, the New Haven men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 75-64 victory over the Wilmington Wildcats on Sunday afternoon. Leading the Chargers (1-1 overall) was senior Davontrey Thomas (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) who finished with 18 points, leading all players in the game.
Overall, Thomas was one of three Chargers, all starters, who finished in double figures, with junior Justin Hendrick (Valley Stream, N.Y./St. Francis) following with 16 points and sophomore Ethan Simmon (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph Metuchen) adding 11 points. Overall, nine different players finished in the scoring column, while 13 players all saw time on the court.
As a team, New Haven finished the game shooting 42.9 percent from the field, connecting on 24-of-56 field goal attempts, with half of those field goals coming from outside the three-point arc as the team finished 12-of-26 from the field for 33.3 percent. Individually, Hendrick led the way shooting 6-of-9 with four of those buckets from long range, tied with Thomas for the lead from outside the arc. Simmon also added three three-point baskets among his four total field goals.
The Chargers also took advantage of 19 trips to the free throw line, connecting on 15 of those attempts for a 78.9 percent average. Leading the way was Tyler Saint-Furcy (Inwood, N.Y./Lawrence Woodmere Academy) who finished a perfect 6-of-6 at the line. The Chargers also finished with 14 assists among their 24 field goals, with seven different players splitting those assists.
After suffering a setback in the rebounding battle in the season opener on Saturday, the Chargers and Wildcats finished in a deadlock in that battle today, with each securing 32 rebounds. Leading the rebounding efforts for the Chargers was sophomore Joshua Hopson (Jersey City, N.J./MacDuffie School) who finished with seven boards. Additionally, New Haven finished with nine steals on the day, with junior Jojo Lingisi-Ombongo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Thomas More) finishing with a career-high six.
The Chargers will continue its four-game season-opening road trip on Wednesday evening when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Bloomfield College Bears. Tip off against the CACC opponent is set for 7:00 p.m.
