Juniors Faronte Drakeford and Kyle Vinales scored 22 and 20 points respectively as the Central Connecticut men's basketball team topped Albertus Magnus 85-82 at home on Sunday afternoon. Central is now 4-8 overall. The Falcons fall to 7-1 with their first loss.
Drakeford posted his second double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds while making 9-of-15 from the field in the victory. Vinales had 20 points to go along with a season-high eight assists as Central had 21 assists and just 10 turnovers in the game.
Senior Terrell Allen had 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench in 18 minutes of action. Sophomore Brandon Peel added eight points and nine boards while also posting a career-high with four steals. The Blue Devils had 11 steals as a team.
Albertus was led by Victor Ljuljdjuraj whoe had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Darius Watson added 26 points and five boards in the loss.
Central led by as many as 16 points in the first half before the Falcons rallied back and cut the halftime lead to 45-41. A three from Vinales at the buzzer pushed it to four before the break.
In the second half the lead would never get to more than eight, as the Falcons used 52 percent shooting from the floor to keep it close the entire half. Down 78-73 Albertus used a quick 9-3 run to take an 82-81 lead with 54 seconds on the clock. Central responded with a pair of free-throws from Vinales to push the lead to one. They then forced an Albertus turnover and Vinales hit two more free-throws to seal the 85-82 win.
Central made 16-of-27 from the line in the game, while Albertus was 9-of-15. Neither team shot well from three, each making five. The Falcons held a 40-37 advantage on the boards.
Drakeford led the Blue Devils with 22 points, his third 20 point game of the season. The double-double was his second. Vinales had 20 points and eight assists, a season-high. The 20 point effort was the 34th time he has reached that mark. It pushes the junior to 1,368 career points, just five shy from moving into 13th place all-time.
Central returns to action on Friday night at Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. The game will be the final non-conference game of the season for CCSU.
