
Men's Basketball Wins Fourth Straight, Downs Saint Francis U, 63-62
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team held off Saint Francis U., 63-62, on Thursday night in Northeast Conference action. The Red Flash erased a double-digit deficit in the second half before going ahead late, but Allan Jeanne-Rose scored the Blue Devils final six points and Jayden Brown had four blocked shots, including one on a late SFU three-point shot to seal the win.
Kellen Amos had a team-high 13 points, while Jeanne-Rose added 12 points and Joe Ostrowsky had 11. As a team, CCSU shot 21-of-45 (.467) overall and 6-of-19 (.316) from three-point range. The Blue Devils were 15-of-22 (.682) at the foul line.
Carlos Lopez, Jr. scored a game-high 22 points. SFU shot 21-of-56 (.375) overall and 6-of-19 (.316) on three-pointers. The Red Flash were 14-of-18 (.778) at the foul line.
The Blue Devils play at Merrimack on Saturday afternoon.
GAME INFORMATION| BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 63, SFU 62
Records: CCSU (13-8, 7-1 NEC), SFU (7-15, 2-7 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT
KEY MOMENTS
- Central would commit six turnovers leading to 10 points for the Red Flash in the opening minutes, but the Blue Devils would take advantage of holding SFU to 7-of-19 shooting. A Kellen Amos three would put CCSU ahead 14-12 and a dunk by Abdul Momoh would push the lead to four points at the 11:43 mark.
- After its lead slipped to 20-19, the Blue Devils would run off a 10-0 run over a three-minute span. Joe Ostrowsky opened the run with a trifecta before a three-point play and then a jumper by Jayden Brown pushed the lead to 30-19 with 5:13 to go in the half. The Red Flash would go over five minutes without a field goal and the Central lead grew to 33-20 after an Ostrowsky trey.
- SFU would hold CCSU scoreless over the final 2:30 to cut the deficit to single digits. Carlos Lopez made 2-of-3 from the foul line with 0:28 to go in the half and make it 36-27 at the intermission.
- The Red Flash would open the second half with back to back three-pointers from Lopez, Jr. and Aidan Harris. The bucket by Harris would cut the CCSU lead to 36-33 with 17:52 to play. The Blue Devils would go without a field goal for a six-minute span covering both halves until a reverse layup by Jordan Jones made it 42-36 with 16:12 to play.
- After a layup by Kellen Amos put CCSU ahead 55-48 with 7:22 to play, the Red Flash would get two layups from Wisler Sanon. The second would turn into a three-point play to make it 55-53 with 5:51 remaining.
- Sanon would make a three-pointer with 4:24 remaining to give SFU a 58-57 lead. The lead was the first for the Red Flash since 12-11 of the opening half. A foul shot by Allan Jeanne-Rose tied the game with 4:00 to play. He would score the final six points for CCSU in regulation, including a foul shot to make it 63-62 with 2:22 to go. A three-point attempt by the Red Flash with just over a minute to play was swatted away by Jayden Brown and would ensure the Central win.
NUMBER TO KNOW
4 – Jayden Brown matched a career-high with four blocked shots to help CCSU win its fourth straight.
NOTES
- SFU leads the all-time series, 28-26, but the Blue Devils swept the season series for the first time since 2011-12.
- Brown finished 4-of-5 from the field with nine points, and nine rebounds.
- Amos added seven rebounds and shot 5-of-9.
- Ostrowsky matched a career-high with three three-pointers and four steals. He finished with 11 points, four steals and three assists.
- CCSU leads the NEC in scoring margin (+7.0) in all games, but are just +1.3 in four NEC home games.
- Central was -5 (15-10) in turnover margin in the game.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils play at Merrimack on Saturday afternoon.
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