Men's Basketball Falls to Penn on Tuesday

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team fell to Penn, 87-65, on Tuesday night at Detrick Gymnasium. The Quakers used 14 three-pointers and held Central to just five three-pointers in the game.  

The Blue Devils' record slips to 1-3 overall, while Penn improves to 2-1 on the season. 

Central scored six straight points to tie the game at 15-15 in the early going before Penn rattled off an 11-0 run over a four-minute stretch to build a double-digit lead. Sophomore Austin Nehls converted a three-point play and a pair of foul shots by senior Tidell Pierre cut the dficit to 26-20. 

Penn would push the lead back to 31-20 with five straight points, but the Blue Devils chipped away at the deficit to get within 35-29 at the intermission.

Five of the Quakers' first six field goals of the second half came from the three-point arc to push the lead to double-figures. A three-pointer by Caleb Wood with 15:09 to play made it 52-36. 

A pair of free throws by Pierre would make it 57-43 with 11:36 remaining, but that would be as close as CCSU would get the rest of the way.

Nehls led the team with 17 points, while senior Khalen Cumberlander scored 14 points. Pierre finished with nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Central shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) overall from the field and was a season-best 20-of-25 (80.0 percent) from the free throw line.

Wood and Matt Howard led Penn with 25 and 21 points, respectively. Howard added a team-high eight rebounds as Penn outrebounded CCSU, 37-31, in the game. The Quakers shot 50.0 percent (32-of-64) overall and 14-of-31 (.452) from three-point range for the game.

The Blue Devils will return to action when they travel to Maine on Wednesday, Nov. 30, for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.