Men's Basketball Has Rally Stopped Short Against Lafayette

The Central Connecticut men's basketball had its second half rally run out of time, falling to Lafayette, 55-50, on Saturday in Baltimore, MD. The Blue Devils trailed by as many as 19 in the second half before cutting the deficit to five late before the Leopard were able to hold on for the win.

Davonte Sweatman led the Blue Devils with 13 points. CCSU shot 17-of-51 (.333) from the field and 8-of-25 (.320) from three-point range. CCSU went 8-of-10 (.800) at the foul line.

Lafayette had three players score in double-digits, led by Leo O'Boyle who had 16 points. The Leopards shot 19-of-45 (.422) overall and 9-of-23 (.391) from three-point range. Lafayette was 8-of-9 (.889) at the foul line.

The Blue Devils face UMBC on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: CCSU 50, Lafayette 55
Records: CCSU (0-4), Lafayette (1-4)
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena | Baltimore, MD

KEY MOMENTS

• After an Andre Snoddy game made it 2-2 with 18:57 to go in the first half, Lafayette would respond by scoring 17 straight points to build a 21-3 lead midway through the period. CCSU went 10 minutes without a field goal, missing eight straight, before a three-pointer by Nigel Scantlebury with 8:53 to go in the half.
• Following the slow start, Central would rattle off seven unanswered points to go the deficit to 11 before the Leopards nudged its lead back to 31-17 at the intermission.
• Lafayette would score back-to-back field goals to open the second half before Central would go on a 10-0 run to cut its deficit to single digits. A three-pointer by Snoddy with 17:45 to play opened the spurt and a trifecta by Davonte Sweatman made it 35-27 with 15:17 to play. Abdul Momoh scored four points in between as CCSU held Lafayette scoreless for four-plus minutes.
• Lafayette scored eight straight points as part of a 10-2 run to build its largest lead of the game. A three-pointer by Eric Sondberg made it 51-32 with 7:01 remaining.
• Central would charge back, outscoring Lafayette, 16-2, during a five-and-a-half minute span. CCSU's bench would provide 13 points during the run, with Joe Ostrowsky scoring six straight points before Snoddy hit a trifecta with 1:29 left to make it 53-48. CJ Fulton would convert a layup with 22 seconds left to end the Leopards' field goal drought and stem the Blue Devils' charge. 

QUOTABLE

"We lost to a good team today," said head coach Patrick Sellers. "The have been in every game this year and we knew were in for a tough grind-it-out fight. We kept competing and gave ourselves a chance down the stretch with the energy of our guys off the bench. We have to lear from this one and come back harder against a good UMBC team tomorrow."

NUMBER TO KNOW

25 – Central got 25 points from players off the bench - matching the 25 points its starting lineup produced.

NOTES

• The teams were meeting for the fourth time overall and for the first time since 2008. Lafayette leads the all-time series, 3-1.
• Sweatman scored in double-figures for the second time this season. He matched a career-high with three three-pointers, while shooting 5-of-8 overall. He also had four assists and two steals in 29 minutes.
• Abdul Momoh finished with eight points, five rebounds and a blocked shot. He is shooting 56.3% from the field on the year.
• Andre Snoddy grabbed eight rebounds - a game-high. It is his 21st career game with 7+ rebounds. He added eight points, three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot. 
• CCSU did not lead in the game, but outscored Lafayette, 33-24, in the second half.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils face UMBC on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.