GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: December 30, 2023
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LOCATION: Sport & Recreation Center | Staten Island, N.Y. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE LEAD
Taking the court one last time in 2023, the New Haven men's basketball team begins a three-game road swing with the first leg a stop in Staten Island to take on the Dolphins, looking to remain unbeaten (currently 3-0) in the short all-time history between the two teams. The Chargers are also looking to build on the momentum of back-to-back wins and take a third straight before the New Year begins.
SCOUTING NEW HAVEN
Riding a two-game win streak, the Chargers have outscored their last two opponents by an average of 30 points per game. Could head coach Ted Hotaling have found the right recipe of players remains to be determined, however the addition of redshirt guard Ethan Simmon (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph Metuchen) coming off the bench has been huge for the Blue and Gold of late, including a career-high 27 points in the most recent game against Georgian Court. For the season, Simmon is one of three players to average in double figures with the rookie now averaging 10.2 ppg. Leading the way individually is senior Davontrey Thomas (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) who is averaging 14.7 ppg, while Jah'Likai King (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) is putting up 13.1 ppg. Thomas has seen more than half of his field goals fall from outside of the three point arc (26 threes, 50 total FG), while Simmon has also been a threat from long range lately, finishing that career-high outing 7-of-10 from outside the arc. Another welcome addition for the Chargers has been junior transfer Jojo Lingisi-Ombongo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Thomas More) who has come off the bench to lead the Chargers with 33 assists.
SCOUTING STATEN ISLAND
Winners in their last two games, five of the last six and eight of the last 10, the Dolphins enter the final game of 2023 with an 8-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the East Coast Conference. The last two wins for Staten Island have come against NE10 teams, including a 101-93 triumph over Saint Michael's, who is currently undefeated in NE10 play. Most recently, CSI posted a 77-67 win over Saint Rose on Thursday night. Leading the Dolphins on the year is Bryce Waterman who is one of three players to average double figures with 15.3 points per game. Similar to the Chargers leading scorer, Waterman has seen the majority of his scoring come from outside the arc with 46 of his 66 total field goals coming from long range. Additionally, he is among the team leaders with 21 assists and 11 steals. Following Waterman in the scoring column is Messiah Mallory (14.3 ppg) and Aaron Goldstein (10.6 ppg), while Goldstein also leads the Dolphins with 46 assists and 18 steals.
SERIES HISTORY vs CSI
· New Haven and Staten Island meet for the fourth time in the history of the two programs.
· New Haven has never lost to the Dolphins, entering Saturday with a 3-0 record.
· The series began with a two point victory during the 1961-62 season.
· The series was then renewed two seasons ago with the Chargers averaging 82.0 points per game in those two victories.
NEXT TIME OUT
After concluding its non-conference schedule against the Dolphins this afternoon, New Haven will return to NE10 play with a pair of road games on the docket to open up the 2024 portion of the schedule. First up will be a visit to Colchester, Vt. as the Chargers will take on the Saint Michael's Purple Knights on Wednesday, January 3. Tipoff from the Ross Sports Center is set for 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team. All of the action in the NE10 battle can be seen live on NE10Now.tv.
