WEST HAVEN, Conn. – New Haven Men's Basketball honored its Class of 2026 before Saturday's tipoff, celebrating
Stefano Faloppa (Portogruaro, Italy/Holy Cross Prep),
Maison Adeleye (Arlington, Tx./Juan Seguin), and
Kyle Kearson (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) as the program's first Division I graduating class. After the ceremony, New Haven upset top-ranked LIU 55-52 in a wire-to-wire win.
Jabri Fitzpatrick (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) paced the Blue & Gold with a team-high 19 points in 37 minutes.
Najimi George (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) posted 11 points and added eight rebounds, while
Andre Pasha (Syracuse, N.Y./Syracuse Academy of Science) collected a game-high nine boards.
New Haven's 31-15 lead at halftime was fueled by forcing 11 turnovers and a very strong defensive effort. In the first 20 minutes, New Haven shot 50.0% (4-8) from deep and 39.1% (9-23) from the floor.
18 bench points and 24 points in the paint helped the Chargers get past LIU, who came in on a six-game winning streak and only had one loss since the calendar turned to 2026.
New Haven will host Stonehill College on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7:00 p.m. The Blue & Gold beat the Skyhawks back on Jan. 2 for the program's first-ever NEC win.
