Cumberlander's OT Trifecta Lifts Men's Basketball By Saint Francis U., 84-83
Senior Khalen Cumberlander hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds to play.
Senior Khalen Cumberlander hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds to play in overtime to give the Central Connecticut men's basketball team an 84-83 win over Saint Francis U. in Northeast Conference action at Loretto, PA. Cumberlander finished with 19 points and became the 36th player in program-history to reach 1,000 career points with the game-winning shot.
The Blue Devils picked up their first NEC win to improve to 3-16 on the season and 1-7 in league play. The Red Flash fall to 7-12 overall and 4-4 in the NEC.
In addition to Cumberlander's 19 points, sophomore Austin Nehls scored a team-high 21 points, hitting six three-pointers. Junior Mustafa Jones added 20 points. Senior Tidell Pierre finished with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Cumberlander's shot finished a CCSU comeback that erased a four-point deficit in the final 28 seconds of overtime. SFU went ahead 82-78 after Jamaal King hit two foul shots to cap a 9-0 run after Central scored the period's first five points.
Junior Kevin Seymour hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds to play to get the Blue Devils within a point. SFU hit 1-of-2 foul shots after being fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass. Freshman Chris Williams collected the rebound for CCSU following the miss on the second foul shot to get the Blue Devils a chance for the game-winner.
The Blue Devils did not trail in the second half and a string of seven straight points capped off by a Pierre layup would make it 47-38. The Blue Devils wouldn't be able to extend its lead however and the Red Flash managed to force overtime.
Saint Francis tied the game at 69-69 with 1:34 to play on a foul shot by Keith Braxton to draw even for the first time in the second half. Central would lead 73-71 with 24 seconds, but following two straight missed foul shots the Red Flash had a chance to tie and Braxton hit a layup with 13 seconds to play to extend the game.
Central led by as much as six points in the opening period. A string of eight straight points by Jones, including six unanswered, gave the Blue Devils an 11-5 lead in the early going.
Saint Francis would hold CCSU to a pair of layups by junior Kevin Seymour during a six-minute span. The Red Flash would get nine points from Josh Nebo, while outscoring the Blue Devils, 13-4, in that span to take its largest lead of the half at 18-15.
The Blue Devils would hit 6-of-9 three-pointers in the first half, including three straight to regain the lead and build a 24-18 margin. The Red Flash would rattle off eight unanswered late in the half to take a two-point lead with 1:09 to go in the period before CCSU hit four foul shots in the final 44 seconds, including three from Nehls, to take a 36-34 lead at the break.
The teams shot nearly identical from the field in the first half (CCSU 46.4, SFU 46.7), but the Blue Devils were 6-of-9 from the arc, while the Red Flash were just 2-of-11.
For the game, CCSU shot 47.0 percent (31-of-66) from the field and was 14-of-25 (.560) from the arc. Nehls' six three-pointers give him 122 for his career and he moved into ninth all-time at CCSU. The Blue Devils were 8-of-11 (.727) from the foul line.
All eight Blue Devils to get in the game scored a basket and grabbed at least one rebound. CCSU finished with a 43-35 edge on the glass.
Jamaal King led four in double-figures for SFU with 20 points. Keith Braxton had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Josh Nebo had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The Red Flash shot 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the field, including 7-of-25 (.280) from three-point range. SFU was 18-of-24 (.750) from the foul line.
The Blue Devils return home to host Bryant on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The 7:00 p.m. game will be televised on MSG+, Fox College Sports and on Cox Cable channels 128 and 1128 in Connecticut.