Men's Basketball Wins at LIU, 72-63, on Sunday

January 21, 2024

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team grinded out a 72-63 Northeast Conference win at LIU on Sunday night in Brooklyn, NY. Neither team led by more than the final margin in the game as the Blue Devils would take advantage of its free throw opportunities to outscore the Sharks.

Allan Jeanne-Rose led Central with 19 points, while Tre Breland added 13 points and Jordan Jones added 11. CCSU shot 23-of-57 (.404) overall and was 6-of-23 (.231) from three-point range. Central was 20-of-25 (.800) at the foul line.

Tana Kopa led all scorers with 24 points. LIU shot 25-of-57 (.439) overall and 4-of-15 (.267) from three-point range. The Sharks were just 9-of-18 (.500) at the foul line.

The Blue Devils travel to FDU on Thursday for a 5:00 p.m. game on ESPN+.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score: CCSU 72, LIU 63
Records: CCSU (10-8, 4-1 NEC), LIU (3-14, 2-3 NEC)
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center | Brooklyn, NY

KEY MOMENTS

CCSU started slowly, missing its first five shots from beyond the arc and shooting just 1-of-5 overall. Back-to-back trifectas by Tre Breland and Davonte Sweatman would tie the game at 11 eight minutes into the game. LIU would score four straight to regain a four-point lead.
The Sharks would maintain the lead throughout the opening half until CCSU managed to draw even after three-pointers by Sweatman and Breland tied it at 28-28 with just over a minute to play in the half. The teams would trade baskets and go into halftime tied at 32-32 following a driving basket by Jordan Jones.
The Blue Devils would take the largest lead of the game with a 9-0 run in the opening moments of the second half. A three-pointer by Jones would give Central a 39-36 lead before a layup by Allan Jeanne-Rose and another by Abdul Momoh would make it 43-36 with 16:44 to play.
LIU would hold CCSU without a field goal for over four minutes and took its first lead since the opening minutes of the second half with a 5-1 run. A layup by RJ Greene tied it before Tai Strickland hit a foul shot to make it 60-59 with 5:17 to play.
Kellen Amos hit two foul shots to put Central back in front, while the Sharks would miss four straight from the line after taking the lead on Strickland's free throw. The Blue Devils would convert 11-of-12 from the foul line and close the game on an 8-0 run to close out the win.

NUMBER TO KNOW

17 – CCSU held a 17-5 advantage in second-chance points, including a 12-0 margin in the first half-

NOTES

LIU leads the all-time series, 30-24, but CCSU has won the past four matchups.
Jeanne-Rose was 7-of-12 from the field and added four rebounds and three assists. He scored 12 points in the second half on 4-of-7 shooting.
Breland has started the past three games and is averaging 12.7 points in those games.
Jones added a team-high four assists with four rebounds.
Davonte Sweatman returned from a two-game absence and finished with eight points. He made his first three shots of the game, including two three-pointers.
Kellen Amos grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and CCSU outrebounded LIU, 41-29.
Jayden Brown finished with nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.
Abdul Momoh scored eight points with five rebounds.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils travel to FDU on Thursday for a 5:00 p.m. game on ESPN+.

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