Men's Basketball Advances to NEC Title Game; Holds Off FDU in Overtime

The Central Connecticut men's basketball team advanced to the Northeast Conference Tournament championship with a 76-72 overtime win against FDU  on Saturday in New Britain, CT. The Blue Devils managed to hold off a second half surge by the Knights and got six points from Jordan Jones in overtime, including a pair of foul shots with four seconds left, to ice the game.

Tickets for the 2025 NEC Championship Game will go on sale to the general public Saturday evening at 9:00 pm. Season ticket holders will receive an email, as in earlier rounds, with instructions on how to purchase their tickets.  Chairback and reserved seats for the championship game will be $20. General admission tickets are $15.00 and GA youth/senior tickets will be $10.  CCSU student ticket distribution of 500 tickets will take place on Tuesday morning at 10:00 am.

Devin Haid scored a game-high 29 points to pace the Blue Devils, while Jones added 17 points and Jayden Brown finished with 10 points. Central shot 27-of-56 (.482) overall and was 11-of-27 (.407) from three-point range. The Blue Devils were 11-of-13 (.846) at the foul line.

FDU was led by Jo'el Emanuel who finished with 17 points. The Knights were 26-of-66 (.394) overall and 6-of-30 (.200) on three-pointers. FDU was 14-of-18 (.778) at the foul line.

GAME INFORMATION | NEC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS | BOX SCORE
Score:  #1 CCSU 76, #4 FDU 72 (OT)
Records: CCSU (25-6, 14-2 NEC), FDU (13-20, 8-8 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS

• CCSU made its first four shots including a pair of three-pointers. A deep trifecta by Devin Haid made it 10-0 just 2:18 into the game. The Knights would not score until 4:08 into the contest, but would score nine unanswered points to make it a one-point game at the 13:24 mark.
• A steal and slam by Devin Had would put CCSU ahead 27-15 and force an FDU timeout at the 8:09 mark. Haid hit his first five shots of the game, including a pair of three-pointers, and was in double-figures midway through the opening period. A  14-1 run by the Blue Devils and a three-pointer  by Davonte Sweatman would make it 35-16 and force another FDU timeout at the 5:44 mark. The Knights were held without a field goal for over six minutes before ending the scoring drought.
• FDU would outscore Central, 9-3, over the final 3:25 of the period. Jaelen McGlone would hit his second triple of the period with under a minute left in the half that would give CCSU a 41-24 lead at the intermission.
• A three-point play by Haid early in the second half put Central ahead, 47-26. The Knights would hold Central to one field goal over a four-minute span and went on an 11-2 run. A pair of foul shots by Terrence Brown made it an 11-point game with 10:27 to play. FDU would force a CCSU timeout with 7:48 to play after a putback by Bismark Nsiah cut the lead to 55-46.
• The Blue Devils went over three minutes without a field goal and FDU went on a 12-2 run. Nsiah hit a jumper with 5:36 left that made it 57-52. A three-pointer by Haid momentarily ended the Knights' surge but back-to-back three-poitners by Jo'el Emmanuel and Jameel Morris made it 64-62 with 1:22 to play.
• Terrence Brown tied the game on a jumper with 0:18 to play, the first tie of the game since the opening tip. CCSU had a chance to win in regulation, but Joe Ostrowsky saw his floater spin out and the Blue Devils went to overtime for the first time this season.
• Abdul Momoh would score his first two points to put CCSU ahead in overtime and the Blue Devils would lead by five before a three-pointer by Morris made it 74-72 with 0:48 to play. Jones would hit a pair of foul shots and Brown stole the ensuing FDU inbounds pass to seal the win.

NUMBER TO KNOW

43:27 – CCSU did not trail in the game and led for a total time of 43:27. The only tie of the game was at 66-66.

NOTES

• CCSU extended its win streak to 14 games - the longest active streak in the country.
• Haid finished with a career-high on 12-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-6 from distance. He added five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
• Jones hit three triples and was 6-of-6 at the foul line. He added three steals.
• Momoh grabbed a team-high six rebounds, while adding a career-high four assists with three blocks.
• CCSU played its first overtime game of the season.
• Central is 16-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• The Blue Devils are 12-1 all-time as the top seed in the NEC Tournament.
• CCSU is 6-3 all-time in the NEC Tournament Semifinals.
• Central won all three matchups with FDU this season and is 3-0 against the Knights in the NEC Tournament all-time.

UP NEXT

• The NEC championship will take place on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. CCSU will host third-seeded Saint Francis U. Tickets will be available online at www.CCSUBlueDevils.com/CCSUTickets

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