Men Fall in OT at Home vs. Monmouth

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team dropped its second straight, and its first at home in Northeast Conference play, falling 58-56 in overtime to Monmouth on Thursday night.  Senior Ken Horton posted his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

With the loss the Blue Devils are now 9-10 overall and 6-3 in NEC play.  Monmouth improves to 5-17 overall and 3-6 in the league.

Freshman Kyle Vinales added 15 points and four assists, while senior Robby Ptacek had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in the loss.

Central is now 7-2 at home on the season, losing to an NEC team in Detrick Gym for just the second time in its last 12 games.

Horton's 11 rebounds give his nine double-doubles on the season, and 27 for his career with the Blue Devils.  His 16 points give him 1,797 for his career. 

Jesse Steele led the Hawks with a team-high 12 points, Dion Nesmith added 11.  They were 11-of-23 from three in the game, while the Blue Devils hit on just 3-of-12.  Monmouth hit just 42.2 percent of its shots, but 47.8 from three in the victory.

Central outrebounded the Hawks 33-26, led by Horton's 11.  But they turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 17 Monmouth points.

The Blue Devils had a chance to win the game in regulation.  On the last possession, Vinales had an attempt come up short and the Hawks grabbed the rebound to force overtime.

Monmouth led by four in the extra frame after a 6-0 run, taking a 54-50 lead.  Central rallied to tie the game at 56 with 46 seconds to play on a pair of free-throws by Horton. 

The Hawks answered with a pair of free-throws by Mike Myers Keitt with 14 seconds to play, taking the 58-56 lead.

Vinales missed a runner inside the lane with under five seconds to play and the Hawks rebounded.  Austin Tollotson was fouled, and then missed the front end of a 1-and-1, giving the Blue Devils with ball with 1.3 second left.  After a timeout, a long pass down the court was intercepted and the Hawks sealed the win.

Horton had 16 and 11 to lead CCSU.  Vinales added 15, including a pair of threes, and Ptacek added 11.  He was 5-of-5 from the line, pushing his total to 89-of-95 on the season, good for 93.7 percent.

Central is back in action on Saturday hosting Fairleigh Dickinson at 3:30 p.m.  The game will be televised live on CPTV Sports as part of a doubleheader.  The women's team will also face FDU at 1 p.m.