NEW LONDON, N.H. - The Colby-Sawyer men's basketball team picked up their first win of the season tonight against Thomas College 80-76, improving their record to 1-1. 

Rapid Recap:

• Thomas College struck first with a three-pointer, but senior Chaz Cullum (Omaha, Neb.) quickly responded with a dunk which would spark a Chargers 10-5 run with graduate student Michael Joanou (Burbank, Calif.) chipping in a quick layup giving the Chargers the 10-5 lead. The Terriers responded with a layup of their own to cut the lead to three. A free throw by the Terriers would tie the game at 10-10 but a jumper by senior Nick Grant (Houston, Texas), layup by graduate student Emmanuel Adarkwa (Lawrenceville, Ga.), and layup by first-year Elijah Thomas (Fairfax, Virginia) sparked a 6-0 run for the Chargers with 10 minutes left of action. The Chargers and Terriers continued to trade points back and forth in the first half as the home team took a 41-27 lead with Cullum putting down a dunk in the last 30 seconds. 
• The Terriers continued to battle as they went on a 13-4 run in the first six minutes of the second half as they trailed the Chargers 45-40. Back-to-back three-pointers by graduate student Bryson Jenkins (Gary, Ind.) as the Chargers took control of the game, taking a 51-42 lead. The two teams would trade fast break points back and forth throughout the half as a made free throw by the Terrier cut the Chargers lead to four with ten minutes to play. Grant would make a jumper to extend the Chargers lead to seven points, but back-to-back free-throw opportunities got the Terriers within five points of the Chargers. Jenkins extended the Chargers lead to double digits with another made three-pointers, but the Terriers would cut the lead to single digits with a jumper. The Terriers continued to battle in the last two minutes as they trailed the Chargers by four points, but a made layup and then a free throw by Cullum kept the Chargers ahead. Junior Allen Mutiganzi Jr. (Burlington, Ontario) would extend the Chargers lead to 77-69 with a minute left in the game. Made free throws by Cullum in the last 30 seconds would seal the Chargers' 80-76 victory.

Inside the Numbers:

• Jenkins led the way for the Chargers with 17 points (5-16 FG, 5-14 3 PT, and 2-2 FT), four rebounds, and two assists while Thomas tallied 16 points (7-9 FG, 1-2 3 PT, 1-2 FT) and six rebounds. Mutiganzi Jr. recorded 12 points (5-9 FG, 2-3 3 PT), 11 rebounds and four assists. 
• Jackson Ruelke led the way for the Terriers with 20 points (9-14 FG, 2-4 FT), 11 rebounds, and one assist while Metin Yavuz added 15 points (7-15 FG, 1-5 FT) and 12 rebounds. 
• The Chargers led 30-9 in points of off turnovers and took advantage of a 23-9 fast break points margin over the Terriers. 

Post Game Press:
"Today was simply about winning, and that was the only thing on our minds coming into the game," said graduate Bryson Jenkins (Gary, Ind.). "What got us through was just trusting in one another. We are all capable of doing great things on the court, so it was just a matter of leaning on each other and having each other's backs. We have a lot to clean up, but the strong belief amongst each other will get us a long way."

Up Next:
The Chargers return to action on Friday when they travel to Boston, Massachusetts to take on University of Massachusetts Boston with a 7:00 PM start.