Niagara Falls and a Rookie of the Week
Freshman Kyle Vinales honored for his performance in season opener
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team plays on the road at Niagara University on Monday night, its second game in the last four days. Freshman Kyle Vinales scored a game-high 24 points in the loss to Yale on Friday, and on Monday he was named the Northeast Conference Choice Hotels/Rookie of the Week.
The Blue Devils travelled to Niagara on Sunday, arriving late Sunday night. On Monday, following their shoot-around at the historic Gallagher Arena on the NU campus, the team made a quick stop at Niagara Falls (pictured).
Vinales (far right in the picture) could not of asked for a better performance in his first game under head coach Howie Dickenman. Debuting for the Blue Devils this past Friday, Vinales led all scorers with 24 points in a 73-69 setback to Yale in the Connecticut 6 Classic.
This week's Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week selection opened the game with his team's first seven points, with three of them coming via his first career shot beyond the arc. He finished his night shooting 6 of 13 from the field and 2 of 4 from distance while adding five steals and two assists.
The 24 points are the most by an NEC freshman making his debut since the Mount's Landy Thompson erupted for 28 points againt North Carolina State on November 22, 2002.
Central and Niagara tip at 7:05 on Monday night.