Men's Basketball Stopped By Brown, 75-58, Saturday
The Blue Devils play their next seven games on the road, beginning at Rutgers on Tuesday.
December 3, 2016
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team was stopped by Brown, 75-58, on Saturday at Detrick Gymnasium. CCSU was forced into a season-high 18 turnovers, which the Bears turned into 22 points. The Blue Devils fell to 2-4 on the season, dropping their final home non-conference game. Brown improved to 5-4 on the season.
CCSU will play its next seven games away from home. The Blue Devils' next home game is January 5 against Sacred Heart.
CCSU will play its next seven games away from home. The Blue Devils' next home game is January 5 against Sacred Heart.
Senior Tidell Pierre scored the Blue Devils' first six points of the game, but Brown came back with a 9-2 run to take an early five-point lead. A three-pointer by junior Kevin Seymour would tie the game at 21-21 with 6:43 to go in the period, but Brown would respond with six straight points before eventually pushing the lead to 30-23.
Central would use a 6-0 run just before halftime, capped off by a driving dunk from senior Khalen Cumberlander to cut the deficit to one. Cumberlander would score the last seven points for the Blue Devils in the opening period, including a three-point play to tie the contest at 34-34 until Obi Okolie hit a three-pointer just before intermission to give the Bears a three-point lead at the break.
Okolie's three-pointer gave Brown the lead for good as it would score the first four points of the second half to push its lead to seven points. The Bears pushed the lead to double-figures on a Chris Sullivan three-pointer to make it 59-49 with 8:10 to play.
The Bears' defense would hold the Blue Devils without a field goal for almost seven minutes until a layup by senior Tidell Pierre 4:32 remaining. Brown would lead by double-figures the rest of the way and by as much as 73-53. CCSU was held to just one field goal the rest of the way following Pierre's layup.
Sophomore Austin Nehls led Central with 18 points, to go with a career-high two blocked shots. Cumberlander finished with 13 points and Pierre added 10 points.
Brown forced Central into a season-high 18 turnovers and held Central to just 33.3 percent shooting after halftime. The Blue Devils would shoot 23-of-53 (43.4 percent) for the game, but was outrebounded, 37-28, and was just 4-of-12 (.333) from three-point range.
Tavon Blackmon led three Bears in double-figures with 21 points. Brown shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) in the game and was 19-of-21 (.905) at the foul line. The Bears committed 19 turnovers, but CCSU was only able to convert them into six points.
The Blue Devils are back in action on Tuesday, December 6, at Rutgers. The game will be on ESPN3 and is set for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.
