Box Score NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team came away with an 86-71 win over New Haven on Wednesday night.
Michael Mallory (Waterbury, Conn.) scored a game high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 5-of-10 from deep.
Desmond Williams (Torrington, Conn.) added his 14
th double-double of the year with 23 points and 11 boards.
With the win, the Owls improve to 20-6 overall and 15-3 in the NE-10 while the Chargers fall to 7-17 and 4-14. Southern Connecticut also clinches the Southwest Division of the NE-10 for the third straight year with the win.
The Owls held a single digit lead throughout most of the first half until they went on a 12-0 run in the final 3:34. The score was 39-34 when
Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.) started the run with a dunk and Mallory followed it up with a three. Wallace nailed a three, himself, on the Owls next possession, followed by an
Austin Carter (Bloomfield, Conn.) dunk and a
Stefon Williams (Jamaica, N.Y.) buzzer-beating jumper. The Owls led 51-34 at the half. Wallace finished the game as the Owls' leading assist man with six – he is the team leader in assists with 34 in its last eight games. He was also the third leading scorer on the team with ten points.
Southern Connecticut shot 65-percent in the first half and 58-percent from deep. The Owls were also strong on the defensive end, holding New Haven to 42-percent shooting and forcing six turnovers.
The second half saw the Owl lead slip into single digits just once after a Jemal Mosley three-pointer 3:37 into the second half. Southern Connecticut pushed its lead up to 19 during a 10-2 run midway through the second half. Des Williams and Mallory scored all 10 of the Owls' points during that run. That duo made up 21 of Southern Connecticut's 35 second half points and 52 of the team's 86 total points.
Southern's biggest lead came with 3:10 remaining. After a missed three by UNH's Tommy Hunt, Mallory shook Hunt with two crossovers at the top of the key and nailed his fifth and final three of the game to give the Owls a 20 point lead. His five treys are tied for the third most he's made this season.
Southern Connecticut committed just four turnovers, tied for the least it has committed all season. It also held New Haven to 39-percent shooting overall, the fifth time the Owls have held an opponent to under 40-percent shooting from the field.
The Owls return to action on Saturday against Le Moyne at 3:30 p.m. on Senior Day
