PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Men's Basketball (1-2, 0-0 PAC) defeated SUNY Potsdam (0-3, 0-0 SUNYAC) 100-77 for their first win of the season on Friday night at the Athletic and Fitness Center.
 
Senior Lovenson Xavier netted a game-high 25 points for the Cougars on 8-13 shooting, including 20 points in the first half. Xavier also pulled down 15 rebounds to secure a double-double along with 3 blocks, tying a career high. Senior Diaun Pinkett scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, shooting 8-11 from the field and 3-5 from deep. Pinkett dished out a game-high 5 assists and grabbed 6 boards. Senior Jake TenBerge scored 20 points along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists for Chatham. TenBerge knocked down a game-high 4 three-pointers on 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Senior Drew Vizenor had 11 points on 3-7 shooting, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for the Cougars.
 
Three-point baskets from Vizenor, Xavier, and TenBerge put Chatham up 11-2 early. Sophomore Sam Norfleet IV's triple gave the Cougars an 18-4 edge six minutes into the game, and the Chatham offense continued to be strong throughout the game. A layup plus one for Xavier extended the Cougars' lead to 19 with six minutes to play in the half, and Xavier would score Chatham's final 13 points of the first half.
 
The Bears slowly crawled back into the game, and a layup early in half two cut the Cougars' lead to 43-37. Two TenBerge triples put Chatham back up 10, then a Pinkett three-pointer capped an 11-3 run to make the score 57-42. The Cougars sustained their advantage from there, and a 7-0 Chatham run put them up 86-63 with five minutes remaining. A layup by junior Seth Sager with a minute left got the Cougars to the 100-point mark in the 23-point win.
 
Chatham shot 50% from the field for the game, including 44.8% from three. The Cougars held SUNY Potsdam to 39.4% shooting on the night.
 
Men's Basketball returns to the Athletic and Fitness Center tomorrow, where their 2 p.m. game against Lynchburg will be preceded by a ring ceremony honoring the 2024-25 PAC Championship team.