Men's Basketball Fends Off FDU in Saturday Victory
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team held on for a 71-62 win over FDU on Saturday at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, CT. Four players scored in double-figures for the Blue Devils who put ono a dominant defensive clinic in the first half before holding off the Knights' rally after halftime. With the win, CCSU will remain atop the NEC standings and have gone 8-2 in the past 10 games.
Kellen Amos posted 16 points and five boards, while Allan Jeanne-Rose added 15 points. Jordan Jones finished with 11 points and Jayden Brown chipped in 10 points. As a team, CCSU shot 23-of-55 (.418) overall and 7-of-20 (.350) from three-point range. The Blue Devils were 18-of-28 (.643) at the foul line.
Ansley Almonor paced FDU with 18 points. FDU shot 22-of-66 (.333) overall and 11-of-27 (.407) on three-pointers. The Knights were 7-of-12 (.583) at the foul line.
The Blue Devils begin a stretch of three straight road games with a contest at Le Moyne on Thursday.
GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 71, FDU 62
Records: CCSU (15-9, 9-2 NEC), FDU (11-14, 5-5 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gym | New Britain, CT
KEY MOMENTS
- CCSU raced out of the gates, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor to open the game. A spurt of seven straight points by the Blue Devils was capped by a Tre Breland three-pointer to make it 16-5.
- The Blue Devils used a 21-4 run and held the Knights without a field goal for 10:16 in the period to take control of the game. The Blue Devils would get points from all nine players in the opening period and built their largest lead at 32-9 following two foul shots by TJ Holloway. FDU got a three-pointer from Almonor to end its shooting drought with 6:08 left in the half. The Knights made just two field goals in the final 16:23 of the half and trailed 36-15 at halftime.
- A steal and layup by Jayden Brown would push the Central lead to 42-17 with 17:53 to play. FDU responded with a 12-2 run in a three-minute span to get within 44-29 with 14:53 to play.
- A three-pointer by DeVante Jamison would make it an 11-point game with 12:17 left. It was the closest margin since the 12:35 mark of the first half. The Knights would trim the deficit to single-digits with 6:01 to go after a Heru Bligen jumper made it 59-50.
- The Blue Devils were held without a field over the final 4:37 and FDU would get within 63-59 after an Almonor three with 1:35 to play. CCSU would go 8-for-10 at the foul line down the stretch and would force three straight FDU misses from the field and two more turnovers to hold on for the win.
NUMBER TO KNOW
15 – The 15 points allowed in the first half marked a season-low by a CCSU opponent.
NOTES
- CCSU has won the past three meetings and swept the season series, while FDU leads the all-time series, 30-26.
- The Blue Devils did not trail in the game and in 80 minutes across two games against FDU this season, the Blue Devils trailed for just 2:50 of game action.
- Jayden Brown has scored in double-figures in three straight games. He added four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot.
- Tre Breland contributed eight rebounds, a team-high nine rebounds and two steals.
- CCSU outscored FDU, 18-2, in the paint in the first half, but just 22-20 for the game. Points off turnovers was a 14-2 edge for Central in the first half and 22-11 for the game.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils begin a stretch of three straight road games with a contest at Le Moyne on Thursday.
Follow @CCSUBlueDevils on Twitter and CCSUBlueDevils.com for updates.