The Central Connecticut men's basketball team hosts LIU Brooklyn on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be part of an Alumni Day doubleheader. The CCSU hosts Bryant in women's basketball at 1:00 p.m.
Longtime academic coordinator Bobbie Koplowitz to be remembered at halftime of the men's game and honored for her nearly 30 years of work with CCSU athletics. Koplowitz passed away in August.
Central is coming off 65-54 loss to Bryant on Wednesday night. The back-and-forth game featured five ties and seven lead changes before the Bulldogs took control with a 12-0 run. Senior Khalen Cumberlander scored a team-high 16 points.
The Blue Devils got their first NEC win of the year on Jan. 21 when Cumberlander hit a three-pointer in overtime to down Saint Francis U., 84-83. It was Cumberlander's 1,000th career point.
The win at CCSU was Bryant's second straight after they picked up a 59-56 win at Robert Morris last Saturday and is currently tied for fith in the NEC standings.
LIU Brooklyn had its six-game win streak snapped with a 83-66 loss at Fairleigh Dickinson last weekend, but rebounded with a 60-57 win at Sacred Heart on Thursday. The Blackbirds are currently third in the NEC at 7-2, just a game back of the leaders.
Tickets can be purchased at CCSUTickets.com or at the box office upon entry to Kaiser Hall and Detrick Gymnasium. Admission for all CCSU students, faculty and staff is free of charge with a valid Blue Chip card.
All Northeast Conference games are available to watch online, for free, at NECFrontRow.com.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Radio: (News Radio 1410 | iHeartRadio Mobile App)
Talent: Bruce Biel (Play-by-Play), Marc Robbins (Analyst)
Twitter: @KizerBlueDevil (in-game updates)
vs. LIU Brooklyn (14-8, 7-2 NEC) | Saturday, Jan. 28 • 3:30 PM | CCSU Notes | LIU Brooklyn Notes
Series Notes vs. Bryant:
• Series Record: Bryant leads, 15-14
• First Meeting: 1973-74 (CCSU, 89-87)
• Last Meeting: Jan. 25, 2017 (BRY, 65-54)
• Last CCSU Win: Jan. 28, 2016 (78-67)
• Current CCSU Streak: L1
• Last Bryant Win: Jan. 25, 2017 (54-65)
Series Notes vs. LIU Brooklyn:
• Series Record: LIU leads, 22-19
• First Meeting: Dec. 7, 1964 (LIU, 76-74)
• Last Meeting: Jan. 12, 2017 (LIU, 60-49)
• Last CCSU Win: Feb. 27, 2014 (86-82)
• Current CCSU Streak: L5
• Last LIU Win: Jan. 12, 2017 (60-49)
CCSU Notes:
• Sophomore
Austin Nehls led all scorers in the NEC last week, averaging 21.5 ppg. He was named a Prime Performer and moved into 9th all-time at CCSU with 122 career three-pointers.
• Senior
Khalen Cumberlander was named an NEC Prime Performer after hitting the game-winning three-pointer at Saint Francis U. He finished with 19 points and became the 36th player in program-history to score 1,000 career points.
• CCSU was 14-of-26 on three-pointers at Saint Francis U. It is a 2016-17 season-high and the team's most since hitting 14 against Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 19, 2013.
Bryant Notes:
• Sebastian Townes shot 60.0 percent from the field last week, averaging 14.0 ppg to go with 4.3 rpg. He scored a career-high 17 against Harvard last Monday night.
• Marcell Pettway had 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Bulldogs erased a 12-point deficit to upend Robert Morris on Saturday.
• Bryant has the second-highest scoring offense in NEC play, averaging 75.4 points per game. Nisre Zouzoua ranks second in the league averaging 18.6 ppg in league play.
LIU Brooklyn Notes:
• Jerome Frink earned Prime Performer recognition for posting 17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.4 bpg, while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor last week. He posted his ninth double-double of the year on Saturday with 20 points and 10 rebounds at FDU.
• Jashaun Agosto finished with 19 points and 4 assists for LIU in a 76-69 win over Wagner last Thursday. He averaged 15.0 ppg and 3.5 apg last week.
• The Blackbirds rank second in the NEC in all games, holding opponents to 43.0 percent shooting from the floor. In league play, foes shoot just .413 (third) against LIU.
Last Time Out
Bryant used a pair of 12-0 runs in the second half to hold off Central Connecticut, 65-54, in Northeast Conference action on Wednesday night. In a back-and-forth game that featured five ties and seven lead changes, the Bulldogs would hold Central to two field goals in the final 7:11 to claim the win.
Cumberlander got off to a hot start and had two early three-pointers to help CCSU race out to a 12-3 lead. A layup by senior
Tidell Pierre at the 14:48 mark gave the Blue Devils' their largest lead of the period.
CCSU led for much of the rest of the first half before two foul shots from Kostur and a three-pointer by Taylor McHugh just before intermission gave the Bulldogs a 31-29 lead at the break.
Bryant's 11-0 run extended into the second half as the lead was pushed to 34-29 on a three-pointer by Kostur before Central answered with a 11-0 run over a span of 3:33 to retake the lead. The Blue Devils' defense limited Bryant to 1-of-9 shooting to open the second half. Junior
Mustafa Jones had five points during the spurt and his layup at 14:08 made it 40-34.
Bryant came right back with 12 unanswered points for its first big run of the second half. Zouzoua opened the spurt with a three-pointer and added a pair of layups, including the basket to make it 46-40 with 9:53 to play.
CCSU responded with eight straight to regain a momentary lead following a jumper by junior
Kevin Seymour before a three-point play by Zouzoua gave Bryant the lead for good with 5:58 remaining. He would run off eight straight points to open a 12-0 run and help Bryant build its lead to 54-48 and seal the game.
Up Next
Central hosts LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, Jan. 28, for Alumni Day. Men's and women's basketball alumni will be recognized on the day and the Blue Devils will honor long-time former academic advisor, Bobbie Koplowitz, on the day. CCSU is home for three straight games before going on the road for three straight.
