Red Flash Top CCSU 69-63 on Thursday Night
Drakeford leads Central with 21 points
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team fell to 5-15 overall and 1-6 in Northeast Conference play with a 69-63 loss on the road at St. Francis University on Thursday night. Junior Faronte Drakeford led the offense with 21 points, including 17 in the second half. St. Francis U is now 5-15 overall and 3-4 in league action.
The Blue Devils trailed by six at halftime, 35-29, but came out red-hot in the second half, making their first 11 shots from the field and building a 48-40 lead. Central cooled off following the hot start and made just 4-of-16 from the field the rest of the half. They were 4-of-13 from three after making their first two attempts of the game.
St. Francis U was led by Earl Brown who had another big game against the Blue Devils. Brown finished the game with 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Red Flash. He had seven offensive rebounds.
Central turned the ball over just 11 times in the game and held the Red Flash to 38 percent shooting and 25 percent from three-point land. However, St. Francis U had 16 offensive rebounds in the game that led to 18 second chance points. Central had seven offensive boards and had just three second chance points.
The Red Flash shot well from the free-throw line in the victory, hitting 13-of-14 in the game including 6-of-6 from Ben Millaud-Meunier in the final minute. The Blue Devils were just 5-of-6 from the line in the loss.
The Red Flash turned the ball over just nine times in the win, their second straight in league play.
Drakeford led the offense with 21 points, his sixth 20 point game of the season. He added eight rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Freshman Matt Mobley added 14 points and three assists. Sophomore Brandon Peel had six points, six rebounds and five blocks to add to his league-leading block total. Junior Malcolm McMillan added nine points, all in the first half.
The Blue Devils are back in action on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Robert Morris. Fans can listen on Fox Sports Radio 1410 in Hartford, ESPN Radio 1300 in New Haven and online at www.iHeartRadio.com.
