Blue Devils Lose at Home for First Time
Freshman Kyle Vinales leads the way with 16 points
Freshmen Kyle Vinales and Adonis Burbage combined to score 30 points, but the Central Connecticut men's basketball team lost its fourth straight game on Thursday, 85-59, to visiting LaSalle. LaSalle improves to 8-4 with the win. The Blue Devils are now 5-6 and are off until December 30 when they play at UMass.
The loss is the first at home this season for the Blue Devils. They are now 4-1 in Detrick Gym.
LaSalle led from the start, building a 7-0 lead, and once the lead reached double-figures at 18-7 it would never get closer.
Central played the game without senior Ken Horton, who missed the game with an injury. He was leading the team in scoring at 22.3 points per game this season.
LaSalle was hot in the first half, building a 52-22 halftime advantage behind 21-of-37 shooting and 7-of-11 from three.
Central outscored the Explorers 37-33 in the second half, and committed only three turnovers after the break. They were just 9-of-28 from the field in the first half, but hit 15-of-33 after halftime.
The Explorers outrebounded the Blue Devils 40-28, including 12 offensive rebounds, and had 52 points in the paint.
Vinales led the Blue Devils with 16 points. Burbage added 14, as did senior Robby Ptacek. All three hit a pair of threes in the loss. Junior Joe Efese had six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
LaSalle was led by Jerrell Wright who had 21 points and nine rebounds. Ramon Galloway added 15 points, including 3-of-3 shooting from three. The Explorers were 8-of-16 from three in the game.
Central returns to action on December 30 at 7 p.m. on the road at UMass.
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