Wagner Beats Men's Hoop on Saturday
Central will return home on Thursday night vs.
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team dropped to 3-20 overall and 1-9 in Northeast Conference play with a 86-55 loss on the road at Wagner on Saturday afternoon. The two teams were playing for the second time in the last week following a dramatic 53-50 home victory on Saturday night vs. the Seahawks.
Wagner improves to 8-13 overall and 6-4 in the league with the victory.
Senior Faronte Drakeford led the Blue Devils with a career-high 26 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Matt Mobley added 10 points and three assists. Freshman Kevin Seymour had four assists and five rebounds.
The Seahawks took control in the first half and built a 43-25 lead at the break behind 13 points from Marcus Burton. They recorded 14 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second chance points and outrebounded the Blue Devils 30-13 before the break.
Central made just 10-of-29 from the field and didn't make a three in the first half. They recorded just three turnovers but the Seahawks controlled the boards and limited any second chance for the Blue Devils.
Wagner had just 50 total points in a 53-50 Central win a week ago, but had 43 at halftime on Saturday. They were 16-of-40 from the field and made four threes.
Wagner built the lead to 61-38 with 10:51 left in the second half making 7-of-15 from the field to begin the half and holding the Blue Devils to just five field goals in the first 10 minutes.
Central would get no closer than 20 the rest of the way as the Seahawks won for the fourth time in the last five games. They were 17-of-40 in each half and 34-of-80 in the game, good for 41 percent. They made six threes and outrebounded the Blue Devils 54-32 in the game, including 23 offensive boards.
Drakeford had his career-high 26 in the loss, and Mobley added 10 as the only other Blue Devil in double-figures. Central was 21-of-57 from the field, 36.8 percent, and 13-of-18 from the line.
The Blue Devils finished the game 0-for-6 from three, breaking a streak of 557 straight games with a three-point field goal made. The last game the Blue Devils did not make a three was February 29, 1996 in a loss to University of Missouri-Kansas City.
The Blue Devils are back home on Thursday night hosting St. Francis Brooklyn at 7 p.m.
