The Central Connecticut men's basketball team host Robert Morris on Saturday, Feb. 18, in an important Northeast Conference matchup. The Blue Devils are currently behind the Colonials for the final spot in the NEC Tournament.
The CCSU volleyball and football teams will be collecting donated school supplies at the doubleheader on Feb. 18, for Smalley Academy in New Britain. Fans are encouraged to bring schools supplies to donate, which will be collected in the lobby at the entrance to Detrick Gymnasium.
At halftime, the Interval House CT and Men Make a Difference celebrity basketball game will be played. The game is meant to help spread awareness of domestic violence. State and local civic leaders will be in attendance to participate in the game.
CCSU returns home after playing its previous three games on the road. Since a 54-52 win at Mount St. Mary's, the Blue Devils have dropped their last three games, but are still in the hunt for the final Northeast Conference tournament berth.
Robert Morris fell at Bryant on Thursday night. The Colonials are currently in possession of the final spot in the NEC Tournament with a 6-9 league mark. The Blue Devils need to win their final three games and have the Colonials lose their final three to move into the postseason.
Tickets for CCSU home games 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. Saint Francis U. (11-14, 8-6 NEC) | Thursday, Feb. 16 • 7:00 PM | CCSU Notes | Saint Francis U. Notes
NECFrontRow | Live Stats | Listen (News Radio 1410)
• Series Record: CCSU leads, 21-17
• First Meeting: Dec. 21, 1994 (SFU, 77-58)
• Last Meeting: Jan. 21, 2017 (CCSU, 84-83 ot)
• Last CCSU Win: Jan. 21, 2017 (84-83, ot)
• Current CCSU Streak: W1
• Last FDU Win: Feb. 6, 2016 (82-91)
Series Notes vs. Robert Morris:
• Series Record: RMU leads, 22-16
• First Meeting: Feb. 4, 1989 (RMU, 81-71)
• Last Meeting: Jan. 19, 2017 (RMU, 74-67)
• Last CCSU Win: Feb. 4, 2016 (65-60)
• Current CCSU Streak: L1
• Last RMU Win: Jan. 19, 2017 (67-74)
CCSU Notes:
• Sophomore
Austin Nehls was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 1 First Team last week. A finance major, Nehls has a 3.93 GPA and currently lead CCSU in scoring and free throw percentage.
• Junior
Mustafa Jones led the Blue Devils with 14.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg last week, while shooting an efficient 60.9 percent from the field. He added 3.0 bpg and 2.0 spg. Jones swatted a career-high six shots against SHU on Saturday. In doing so, he became the first CCSU player with 5+ blocks in a game since Brandon Peel had six at Saint Francis U on February 6, 2016.• Senior
Khalen Cumberlander scored 19 of his 25 points after halftime on Thursday, while freshman
Tyson Batiste scored a career-high 17 points with five three-pointers.
• Isaiah Still paced the Colonials with 15.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg last week. He topped the Colonials with 17 points and seven rebounds against Mount St. Mary's on Thursday and led RMU in a 50-48 win over Wagner with 14 points. Dating back to last season, Still has scored in double figures in 27 of his last 32 games.
• Looking at players who score at least 5.0 ppg, Kavon Stewart is the NEC leader with 9.3 attempts per 40 minutes. Stewart has gone to the line 177 times this season, second in the NEC.
• Aaron Tate posted his second career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds on Thursday night
.
Saint Francis U. Notes:
• Josh Nebo averaged 11.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 3.5 bpg, while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor last week. On Thursday against Wagner, he recorded his sixth double-double of the season, and fourth in NEC play, with 15 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. Nebo, who leads the NEC and ranks 22nd nationally with 2.4 bpg, now has 119 career rejections in less than two years, just 18 behind the SFU all-time record held by Melvin Scott (1996-01).
• Keith Braxton posted 13.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.0 apg and shot 63.2 percent from the floor in two games last week. In NEC play, Braxton is averaging 14.7 ppg on 55.2 percent shooting to go along with 8.6 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.6 spg.
• SFU leads the NEC in scoring at 76.2 points per game. The Red Flash shoot a league-best .458 from the field and .381 from three-point range.
Last Time Out
The Blue Devils fell, 80-71, to Saint Francis U. on Thursday. The game featured four ties and 10 lead changes, but the Red Flash would use a late run to take control of the game. Saint Francis scored 15 points in the opening 3:42 of the second half to erase a six-point CCSU cushion before Central would come back to take a lead with just over eight minutes to play. An 8-0 run by the Red Flash late would prove to be the difference.
Central would build a 37-31 lead at halftime thanks to a 16-4 spurt that helped it erase an early six-point deficit. Freshman
Tyson Batiste hit three three-pointers and senior Tafari had nine points off the bench in the opening period to spark the Blue Devils.
The Red Flash scored the first 10 points of the second half and would build its lead to as much as 46-39. CCSU would rally on the back of senior
Khalen Cumberlander who accounted for 12 straight points for CCSU and his three-pointer at the 11:46 mark would make it 53-51. Sophomore
Austin Nehls' first three-pointer of the night would cut the deficit to 55-54 before a reverse layup from Whittingham put CCSU back in front, 56-55, with 8:11 to play. The Red Flash would take a 71-64 lead following a 8-0 run with 3:41 to play that ultimately proved to be the difference. Cumberlander would score 19 of his game-high 25 points after halftime. Batiste finished with a career-high 17 points and went 5-of-6 from three-point range, while Whittingham had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Up Next
Central begins its last weekend of the regular season with a home game against St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, Feb. 23. The Blue Devils will honor their three seniors on Senior Night. CCSU closes the regular season at Bryant on Saturday, Feb. 25.
