STORRS, Conn. – In front of a crowd of 10,244 at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, New Haven Men's Basketball opened up its 2025-26 season with a 79-55 loss at UConn. A tough night from beyond the arc and at the charity stripe were factors in the loss.

A 37-24 game at halftime, the Blue & Gold kept things close in the second half, but were ultimately unable to keep pace with Huskies high-scoring offense. UConn also out-rebounded New Haven, 40-25, and therefore, had an edge in second-chance points, 13-2.

Andre Pasha (Syracuse, N.Y./Syracuse Academy of Science), playing in his first game for the Chargers, led New Haven with 17 points and six boards in the loss. Najimi George (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) posted 14 points and collected four rebounds.

On the defensive end, New Haven managed to force 12 turnovers, as Pasha found himself with a pair of steals. George, Adeleye, Jabri Fitzpatrick (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick), Teshaun Steele (Worcester, Mass./Darrow School), and Kheni Briggs (Kennapolis, N.C./The Burlington School) all had one steal each. This advantage in turnovers allowed New Haven a 12-5 edge in points off turnovers. Fitzpatrick registered the only blocked shot of the game for the Chargers.

New Haven will look for more from its bench in its next game after the starting five contributed 51 of its 55 total points.

New Haven will open its home schedule on Friday, Nov. 7, against the Columbia University Lions. Opening tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.