SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The University of New Haven opened the game with an 11-2 run and never looked back on its way to a 63-43 win over the American International College men's basketball team Tuesday night in a Northeast-10 contest at Henry A. Butova Gymnasium.

The Chargers improved to 5-2 for the season and 4-2 in the Northeast-10 with their third consecutive win, while the Yellow jackets fell to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play.

AIC trailed by nine after sophomore forward Mark Ellis (Stamford, Conn.) dropped in a layup to make it 19-10 before New Haven went on a 15-3 run to close the period and take a commanding 34-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Yellow Jackets were a much improved team in the second half and outscored the Chargers 30-29 in the period, but couldn't get any closer than 13 the rest of the way. Freshman forward Braxton Gardner (Bridgeport, Conn.) pulled AIC within 46-33 with a pair of free throws with 7:49 left, but New Haven then went on a 9-2 run to put the game away.

Sophomore guard Justin Exum (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored a game-high 17 points with six rebounds and four assists to lead the Chargers, while junior forward Ade Barek (London, England) registered a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 boards.

Sophomore forward David Campbell (Boston, Mass.) scored 10 points with four rebounds for the Yellow Jackets, while Gardner finished with 10 points off the bench. Sophomore guard Spencer Braithwaite (Dorchester, Mass.) finished with seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Yellow Jackets shot just 22.7 percent (5-22) in the first half and were just 1-for-7 from three. AIC was outrebounded 52-27 in the game, and New Haven's 16 offensive rebounds led to 15 second-chance points. AIC had just four offensive boards that turned into two points.

The Yellow Jackets will look to bounce back Friday afternoon when they face Philadelphia University at 3 p.m. in the first game of the 2011 Hall of Fame Showcase at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. Tickets to the Showcase are as low as $10 and can be purchased at the MassMutual Center box office or online at TicketMaster.com.

Each ticket is good for all four games at the Showcase., which features teams from NCAA Divisions I, II and III. Springfield College will face Trinity (Conn.) College at 5 p.m., followed by a showdown between UMass and Siena College at 7 p.m. Fairfield University and Old Dominion University will play at 9 p.m. in the fourth and final game of the day.