Peel, Blue Devils Win at the Buzzer Over Wagner

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team snapped an 11-game losing streak on Saturday night with a 53-50 home victory over visiting Wagner College.  The win moves the Blue Devils to 3-18 overall on the season and 1-7 in Northeast Conference play.  Wagner falls to 6-13 overall and 4-4 in the league with the loss.

WATCH THE GAME-WINNER

FULL HIGHLIGHTS

After Wagner had tied the game at 50-50 with one second to play, the Blue Devils ran a perfectly executed out of bounds play to junior Brandon Peel at the top of the key.  Peel grabbed the ball and drained a turn-around three as time expired to give the Blue Devils the victory, 53-50.

An incredible second half defensive effort for the Blue Devils helped them snap their streak.  After trailing 34-30 at halftime, Central held Wagner to just 16 points in the second half, including just 5-of-29 from the field.  They were just 1-of-9 from three in the half, with the one being the game-tying three with one second left.

Peel's three gave him 17 points to go along with his 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.  He was 6-of-9 from the field and that three was his only three of the game.

Wagner led 34-30 at the half after shooting 15-of-35 from the field, including three threes, and holding the Blue Devils to 38.5 percent shooting from the field, making just 10-of-26.  The Blue Devils, however, hit 4-of-9 from three, including 3-of-3 from sophomore Khalen Cumberlander.

Cumberlander had nine, and Peel had 10 and seven boards in the first half.  He also had a pair of blocks.  Central had six assists, three from freshman Kevin Seymour, and turned the ball over just six times.  Wagner had only three turnovers in the period and turned eight offensive rebounds into 10 second chance points.

In the second half the Wagner lead stretched to seven, 40-33, before an offensive rebound and putback from senior Faronte Drakeford cut it to five, 40-35, with under 13 minutes to play.

Both teams went ice cold from the field, neither with a point or a basket for over six minutes, before the Blue Devils cut the lead to 40-37 with under eight minutes to play.  A Cumberlander dunk cut the lead to three.

Down 44-37, the Blue Devils got back-to-back buckets from Drakeford and Peel to make it 44-41, and then sophomore Matt Mobley hit a driving layup to make it 44-43 with four minutes to play. 

Down three, 46-43, a Drakeford turn around jumper cut it to 46-45.  Mobley hit a runner to give Central a 47-46 lead with under three minutes to play.  Peel converted a layup to push the lead to 49-46 with 1:30 on the clock.

With the Blue Devils up three, Wagner missed on their first three point attempt with under five seconds to play, but Marcus Burton grabbed the rebound and drained a three with under a second to play to tie the game 50-50.  Peel's jumper gave the Blue Devils the victory, snapping the 11-game slide.

Peel ended the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Mobley added 12 points and Cumberlander had 11. 

The Blue Devils will be back in action on Thursday night on the road at LIU Brooklyn beginning at 7 p.m.