Men's Basketball Opens Northeast Conference Play With a Win at Saint Francis U
The Central Connecticut men's basketball team opened Northeast Conference play with a 74-59 win at Saint Francis U. in Loretto, PA, on Friday night. The Blue Devils held the Red Flash to just 29 percent shooting after halftime to pull away from a tied game at halftime.
Jordan Jones led all scorers with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, while Devin Haid chipped in with 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Central shot 28-of-59 (.475) overall and 8-of-26 (.308) from three-point range. The Blue Devils were 10-of-11 (.909) at the foul line.
Valentino Pinedo and Riley Parker each had 12 points to lead the Red Flash. SFU shot 24-of-57 (.421) overall and 6-of-22 (.273) on three-pointers. SFU was 5-of-7 (.714) at the foul line.
GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 74, SAINT FRANCIS U 59
Records: CCSU (10-4, 1-0 NEC), SFU (5-10, 0-1 NEC)
Location: DeGol Arena | Loretto, PA
KEY MOMENTS
- Central got back-to-back three-pointers from Jones and Jayden Brown to open the game. Jones would have seven of the Blue Devils' first 10 points and his layup at the 18:19 mark put Central ahead, 10-2.
- The eight-point margin was CCSU's largest lead of the opening period. SFU would tie the game at 14-14, before taking its first lead of the game with 9:04 to go in the half. A 6-0 run, capped off by a layup by Bobby Rosenberger and a foul shot by Pinedo made it 25-22. The teams went into halftime tied at 38 following a three-pointer by Jones and a layup by Pinedo.
- Haid opened the second half with a personal 7-2 spurt to give Central a 45-40 lead. The Blue Devils would not allow the Red Flash closer than 47-45 with 16:34 to play. CCSU would extend its lead to double-figures by closing the game on an 8-0 run in the final 3:09, while holding SFU to 0-5 shooting in that span.
NUMBER TO KNOW
7 – Central committed just seven fouls in the game, including just two in the opening half. The Blue Devils entered the game committing just 12.2 fouls per game, which ranked fourth nationally.
NOTES
- Jones went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and had four assists. He is a combined 8-of-11 from the arc in the past two games.
- Haid posted his 8th consecutive game in double-figures.
- Jayden Brown and Abdul Momoh each scored 9 points. They combined to add nine rebounds, four steals, three blocked shots and two assists.
- The Blue Devils have won five road games on the season and have won three straight NEC road games in league play dating back to last season.
- CCSU has won its NEC opener in back-to-back seasons for the first time since winning four in a row from 2008-12.
UP NEXT
- Central travels to Mercyhurst on Sunday for the teams' first NEC matchup.
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