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The magical season came to an end a couple of wins shy of a national championship, but with some history and plenty of memories that will last a lifetime for the University of New Haven men's basketball team.
Second-seeded West Liberty was all it was advertised to be and then some as one of the top Division II teams to average more than 100 points per game shot its way to a 95-58 victory over the seventh-seeded Chargers on Tuesday at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
The Chargers had one stretch in the second half when they made 10 of their 17 shots and lost four points on the scoreboard.
"We don't really practice that," New Haven guard Quashawn Lane (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy) said. "It is hard to assimilate that when it comes to the game."
For all the talk about the dynamic West Liberty offense matching up with a New Haven defense that is one of the best in Division II, it was the other matchup where it all got away from New Haven.
There were multiple open looks in the early going that didn't fall for the Chargers as West Liberty put the game away early.
"We got behind early and once you play catch up with that team, it is a great challenge," New Haven head coach Ted Hotaling said. "They are very talented and they are very deep, they come in waves. We haven't seen that type of style of play during our regular season and I didn't think we played our best game as well."
West Liberty made 16 3-pointers and that is tied for the second most in a Division II Elite Eight game. The Hilltoppers have made at least one 3-pointer in 789 consecutive games.
New Haven missed its first five 3-point attempts and during the stretch, also committed nine of its 26 turnovers.
"West Liberty's style really challenges you and it is not just in a four-minute segment, it is a 40-minute game," Hotaling said. "One thing we had to do was endure the pressure and their style of play and we weren't able to do that."
Lane finished with 12 points and six assists before checking out with 1:04 left to play. Kendall McMillan (Columbia, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) had 11 points, Ty Perry (Boston, Mass./Brighton) scored all 11 of his points in the second half while Majur Majak (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./) had four points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks. Justin Hendrick (Valley Stream, N.Y./St. Francis) continued eight points off the bench.
"Those guys in the locker room, I am proud of them," Lane said. "It hurts, but I am proud of how we overcome so much adversity. It is bittersweet, but we are going down in history."
This is the first team in program history to reach the Elite Eight and the Chargers were able to win the East Region title even after starting guard Victor Olawoye (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial High School) suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during the Northeast-10 tournament final.
New Haven loses four starters off this team Lane finished his career in the top 20 in career points at New Haven and became the first player for the Chargers to appear in the NCAA tournament in three different seasons. Majak posted the top two single-season marks for blocked shots and that included a program record 105 this season. He became the fourth player at New Haven and the first in more than five decades with more than 400 rebounds in a season.
Perry made an impact in his lone season at New Haven, Olawoye was the perfect running mate with Lane and an elite perimeter defender.
McMillan stepped into a larger role following Olawoye's injury and set career highs with 11 and 12 points in each of his final two games.
Davontrey Thomas (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) will return to lead the 2023-24 New Haven team.
Justin Hendrick (Valley Stream, N.Y./St. Francis) and Sean Braithwaite (Center Moriches, N.Y./Center Moriches) should benefit from their experience during the NCAA run. There will be some newcomers joining the program as that New Haven team will have a tough act to follow.
"We just try to preach to them to take it serious," Lane said. "We are not here without them. We are not here without our underclassmen. We just have to stick together, and it is your time to take over the ship."
Even during the tournament run, Hotaling has been busy on the recruiting trail as he looks to lay the foundation for future NCAA tournament runs.
"They have seen the result of the hard work," Hotaling said. "It is about getting back to the gym in two weeks, fight and learn how to get here again. This could be a good experience for us going forward. The hope is that we will learn from this, enjoy the experience and want to get back here."
Zach Rasile had 14 points, Bryce Butler 13 points, Christian Montague 11 and Finley Woodward 10 and six assists as West Liberty won its 17th game in a row to advance to Thursday's national semifinals against Black Hills State.
New Haven finished the season with a 23-11 record. The 23 wins are the most in Hotaling's 13 seasons at New Haven and the most since the 1987-88 squad went 26-5.
