Men's Basketball Opens NEC Play With Win at Stonehill

January 4, 2024

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team opened Northeast Conference play with a 74-59 win at Stonehill on Thursday night in Easton, MA. The Blue Devils were led by Allan Jeanne-Rose and Kellen Amos, who scored 22 points and 20 points, respectively.

In addition to Jeanne-Rose and Amos, Jordan Jones chipped in 16 points. CCSU shot 27-of-63 (.429) overall and was 6-of-28 (.214) from three-point range. Central was 14-of-19 (.737) at the foul line.

The Skyhawks were led by Chas Stinson's 17 points. Stonehill was 24-of-59 (.407) from the field overall and 6-of-19 (.316) on three-pointers. Stonehill was 5-of-9 (.556) from the foul line.

The Blue Devils return to action on Saturday, January 13, with a 4:00 p.m. contest at Saint Francis U.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: CCSU 74, Stonehill 59
Records: CCSU (7-7, 1-0 NEC), STO (2-14, 0-1 NEC)
Location: Merkert Gymnasium | Easton, MA

KEY MOMENTS

CCSU scored eight straight points to take an early five-point lead. A three-point play by Allan Jeanne-Rose started the spurt and tied the game at 5-apiece. Kellen Amos would follow with a three-pointer and a layup to make it 10-5 at the 17:08 mark.
The teams traded runs in the closing minutes of the first half. Central outscored the hosts 8-2 in a two-minute span to take its largest lead of the period. A layup down low by Jayden Brown would make it 24-19 at the 5:51 mark. Jordan Jones followed with a foul shot and three-pointer before a steal and dunk by Amos would make it 30-21 at 4:23. Stonehill held CCSU without a point the rest of the period and had scored eight unanswered to make it 30-29 at halftime.
Stonehill would take a brief lead at 36-35 following a Max Zegarowski three-pointer with 18:08 to play. The Blue Devils got a three-pointer on the next possession by Amos to retake the lead and they would not trail again.
The game was tied with 13:01 to play but Central would score nine straight. Joe Ostrowsky broke the tie with a three-pointer and a dunk by Amos just 2:25 later would make it 51-42. Stonehill would claw back to within four points with 8:05 to play before CCSU pulled away with an 13-0 run. Tre Breland opened the run with a three-point play and Jeanne-Rose had six straight before a layup by Amos made it 66-49 with 4:15 to play.
Stonehill went over four minutes without scoring and got no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

NUMBER TO KNOW

13 – Central improved to 13-14 all-time in NEC openers.

NOTES

CCSU leads the all-time series, 28-7, and has won the past two meetings.
Jeanne-Rose scored 14 points in the second half and was 5-of-5 from the field.
Amos has scored in double-figures in four straight games and is averaging 15.8 ppg in that span.
Jones Finished with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Breland grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, to go with three assists and three steals.
Central outscored Stonehill, 17-3, in transition.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils return to action on Saturday, January 13, with a 4:00 p.m. contest at Saint Francis U.

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