Men's Basketball Downs Mercyhurst; Wins 7th Straight
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team extended its win streak to seven with a 73-63 win over Mercyhurst in Northeast Conference action on Thursday in New Britain, CT. The Blue Devils shot 60 percent from the field in the second half to erase a halftime deficit.
Jordan Jones paced the CCSU offense with 19 points and eight assists. Jayden Brown added 16 points, while Devin Haid and Darin Smith each had 11 points. Central shot 28-of-53 (.528) overall and was 8-of-21 (.381) from three-point range. The Blue Devils were 9-of-13 (.692) at the foul line.
Bernie Blunt had 18 points to lead the Lakers. Mercyhurst shot 26-of-57 (.456) overall and 5-of-24 (.208) on three-pointers. The Lakers were 6-of-8 (.750) at the foul line.
GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 73, MERCYHURST 63
Records: CCSU (18-6, 9-2 NEC), MU (9-15, 5-4 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT
KEY MOMENTS
- Central would take a 9-8 lead following a dunk by Abdul Momoh before Mercyhurst scored 10 straight points to go up 18-9 just 6:07 into the game. A dunk by Max Frazier ended the Lakers run, but that was CCSU's only field goal during a nearly six-minute span that saw Mercyhurst build a double-digit lead.
- The Blue Devils would recover by outscoring the Lakers 13-4 over a six-minute span. The spurt opened with four straight points by Jayden Brown and a three-pointer by Joe Ostrowsky would give Central a 27-26 lead with 5:12 remaining in the period.
- Consecutive buckets by Jaelen McGlone and Davonte Sweatman gave Central a 33-30 lead with 2:50 left in the half. Mercyhurst would score the final six points of the half and took a 38-35 lead at the intermission.
- Central would open the second half with a 12-2 run to build a seven-point lead. A trifecta by Jordan Jones tied the game to begin the period before a layup by Devin Haid gave CCSU the lead. The spurt was capped with a triple by Haid to make it 47-40 with 15:50 to play. The Blue Devils opened the second half shooting 8-for-12 from the field, while Mercyhurst hit just 4-of-11.
- The Blue Devils would not trail the rest of the way, although Mercyhurst would get within 61-59 with 5:46 to play. Central would put the game out of reach after Darin Smith, Jr. hit a trio of three-pointers in the final 5:03. His third trifecta made it 73-63 with 2:47 to play.
NUMBER TO KNOW
7 – Central has won seven straight games for the first time since Jan. 20-Feb. 5, 2011.
NOTES
- Jones shot 7-of-11 overall and 3-of-5 from the arc. His eight assists were one off his career-best.
- Brown moved past 800 career points and now has 809.
- Haid grabbed seven rebounds, his team-leading 11th game with 7+ rebounds.
- Smith, Jr. entered the game as the NEC's top three-point shooter (.456) and went 3-of-5 in the game.
- CCSU has won both meetings this season, the only matchups between the schools.
UP NEXT
- Central hosts Saint Francis U on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
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