Men's Basketball Welcomes Wagner to Detrick Gym on Thursday

The Blue Devils host the first-place Seahawks in an NEC tilt.

February 21, 2018

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team begins the final weekend of the regular season against Wagner on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. in Detrick Gymnasium. CCSU currently holds a two-game lead in the Northeast Conference standings for the final postseason berth, while the Seahawks have clinched the top seed for the league tournament.

The Blue Devils are 13-16 overall and 6-10 in the Northeast Conference following a win at Robert Morris last weekend. The Seahawks are 20-7 overall and 13-3 in NEC play, and have won two straight overall and nine of their last 10 games to clinch the top spot in the NEC. Wagner took the season's first meeting, 72-59, on Staten Island.

The NEC Tournament presented by Startwire opens on February 28. The top eight teams in the league standings qualify for the tournament, with the top four seeds earning a home game in the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be played on March 3 and the NEC Championship will be played on March 6.

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 CCSU home games and Northeast Conference games are available to watch online, for free, at NECFrontRow.com.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION | Detrick Gymnasium (New Britain, CT)

CCSU (13-16, 6-10 NEC) vs. Wagner (20-7, 13-3 NEC) | Thursday, Feb. 22 | 7:00 PM
VIDEO (NEC FrontRow) | LIVE STATS | @KizerBlueDevil (In-game twitter updates)

COMPLETE GAME NOTES | 2017-18 NCAA Rules Review Video

TODAY'S GAME • Central Connecticut closes the regular season this week with a pair of home games, beginning with tonight's game against Wagner. The matchup will be streamed live, and for free, at www.NECFrontRow.com.

SERIES HISTORY • The Blue Devils and Seahawks are meeting for the 47th time in the series. Wagner leads the series, 26-20, and has won six straight meetings. The Seahawks won, 72-59, on Feb. 1 in the season's first matchup.

LAST TIME OUT • CCSU downed Robert Morris, 65-58, on Saturday at the AJ Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The Blue Devils held the Colonials without a field goal for a 6:06 stretch in the second half to help erase a seven-point halftime deficit. Junior Tyler Kohl scored 17 points, with 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the CCSU offense. RMU took an early 14-7 lead following eight straight points. The Colonials would push the lead to as much as 21-12 in the opening period before Central closed within 30-23 at the half. CCSU outscored RMU, 16-5, over a span of 7:04 in the second half to take its first lead of the second half. A three-pointer by Austin Nehls and a foul shot from Kohl would push the CCSU lead to 57-50 with 3:29 to go. The Colonials would get a layup to end a field goal drought of 6:05 to cut the deficit to five points, but they would get no closer.

NEHLS SCORES 1,000 • Junior Austin Nehls became the 37th player in program-history to score 1,000 career points when he hit a three-pointer in the second half at Saint Francis U on Feb. 15. He currently has 1,009 career points to rank 35th all-time.

UP NEXT • CCSU hosts St. Francis Brooklyn for Senior Day on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CCSU will also honor longtime PA Announcer, Joe Arnone throughout the day at the basketball doubleheader.