Men's Basketball Celebrates Win Over Holy Cross on Saturday

December 2, 2023

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team dropped Holy Cross, 78-67, on Celebrate New Britain Day at Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday. The Blue Devils had four players in double-figures and took control of the game midway through the first half.

Kellen Amos collected his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jordan Jones scored a career-high 18 points. Allan Jeanne-Rose finished with 14 points and Tre Breland had 12.. CCSU shot 28-of-58 (.483) overall and was 10-of-20 (.500) from three-point range. Central was 12-of-19 (.632) at the foul line.

Joe Octave led Holy Cross with 24 points, but he was the only player in double-figures. The Crusaders shot 24-of-64 (.375) overall and 8-of-23 (.348) from the arc. Holy Cross was 11-of-15 at the foul line.

The Blue Devils begin a three-game road stand at Boston College on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: CCSU 78, HOLY CROSS 67
Records: CCSU (3-4), Holy Cross (2-7)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS

CCSU would open the game shooting 4-of-10 from the field overall, but 3-of-5 from three-point range. Kellen Amos would connect on back-to-back three-pointers and tied the game at 11-11. The Blue Devils would get within 18-16 following a Jordan Jones layup, but the Crusaders responded with five straight points before Tre Breland hit a three-pointer coming out of a timeout.
Central trailed 23-16 with 9:15 to go in the half before running off 16 unanswered points. Breland's three-pointer opened the scoring spree and consecutive three-pointers by Allan Jeanne-Rose and Jay Rodgers would put CCSU ahead 32-23. The Blue Devils' defense stifled the Crusaders during a six-minute scoreless stretch until Holy Cross hit a pair of foul shots with 1:58 to go in the half.
The Blue Devils led 36-28 at halftime and Jordan Jones connected on a three-pointer on the opening possession to push the lead to double-figures. Central would maintain a lead of at least nine points through the first 10 minutes of the second half.
CCSU led 57-48 with 7:49 remaining before Will Batchelder hit a three-pointer and Bo Montgomery made a layup to cut the deficit to four points. A three-pointer by Amos would end the quick spurt and push the lead back to seven points. Central pushed the lead back to double-figures with four minutes to play after a Jones layup was followed by a Rodgers trifecta to make it 68-58 and did not allow Holy Cross within nine points the rest of the way.

NUMBER TO KNOW

8 - For the second straight game, CCSU blocked eight shots as a team. The Blue Devils have three games of eight blocked shots this season.

NOTES

Holy Cross leads the all-time series, 3-2, but the teams have alternated wins in the last three matchups.
Jones scored a career-high for the second straight game. He added four rebounds and three assists.
Amos finished with his first career double-double. He added six assists, two blocked shots and a steal.
Jeanne-Rose chipped in three rebounds and three blocked shots.
Breland shot 5-of-6 overall and 2-of-3 on three-pointers. He added four rebounds and two steals.
Central scored first in a game for the fifth time of the season.
CCSU won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils begin a three-game road stand at Boston College on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Follow @CCSUBlueDevils on Twitter and CCSUBlueDevils.com for updates.