Men's Basketball Begins NEC Play at Fairleigh Dickinson
The teams will play on Tuesday and Wednesday in Hackensack, NJ.
The Northeast Conference men's basketball season tips off this week. Central Connecticut opens the 18-game slate with two games at Fairleigh Dickinson, beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The teams will play at 7:00 p.m. at Stratis Arena in Hackensack, NJ. This season, teams will play on back-to-back days, meaning CCSU and FDU will play again on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. The games will stream for free on NEC Front Row. Both teams will be looking for their first win of the year and get off to a positive start in league play.
GAME LINKS: 2020-21 CCSU RECORD BOOK | GAME NOTES (CCSU) | GAME NOTES (FDU) | VIDEO (NEC Front Row) | AUDIO | LIVE STATS
In its only game last week, CCSU fell at Hartford, 80-65, on Friday. Junior Tre Mitchell scored a career-high 19 points to lead all scorers, while junior Nigel Scantlebury added 14 points and four assists. Senior Stephane Ayangma and sophomore Greg Outlaw each grabbed six rebounds.
Outlaw leads the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Mitchell adds 9.7 ppg, while the Blue Devils have 10 players averaging 3.3 points and playing at least 16.0 minutes per game.
FDU lost at Providence, 79-67, on Saturday after being tied at halftime. Brandon Rush leads a trio of Knights in double-figures at 16.3 ppg. Pier Oliver Racine is team's leading rebounder at 5.8 rpg.
Central and FDU rank 2-3 in the NEC in scoring offense at 66.5 and 65.7 ppg, respectively. CCSU is second in the league, shooting .424 from the field, while FDU is
WITH A CCSU WIN...
• CCSU would collect its first win of the season, and its first road win.
• Central would win at FDU for the first time since Jan. 10, 2019 (103-96, 2ot).
• The Blue Devils would open NEC play 1-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 season (72-68 vs. Saint Francis U). CCSU has opened the last two NEC seasons 0-2.
Quick Hitting Notes
• Tre Mitchell scored 19 points (7-11 fg) at Hartford. He had 11 points (4-6 fg) in the 2nd half.
• CCSU ranks 3rd in the NEC in steals (7.3 spg) and turnovers caused (13.3).
• Central has had 9 players score in all three games this season. The Blue Devils have 10 players scoring between 3.3 and 10.5 ppg.
• CCSU, which ranked 3rd in the NEC in three-point shooting (.357) last season, has shot just 9-of-47 (.191) from the arc in the past two games.
Central will play its first home games of the season when it hosts St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 15 and 16. Additional non-conference games and any schedule changes will be announced as they become available.