Men's Basketball Tops Savannah State 51-44 on Saturday Night in Charleston

The Central Connecticut State University men's basketball team improved to 1-2 overall on the season with a 51-44 victory against Savannah State on Saturday night. The Blue Devils, who shot 46 percent from the floor in the win, were led by sophomore Robby Ptacek who had a game-high 16 points to go along with seven boards. Central, who lost to Savannah State last week 53-45, will be in action again on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. facing The Citadel.

The Blue Devils trailed only once in the game, 6-3, and shot a season-best 46.3 percent from the field (19-of-41) in the victory. Central's zone defense held the Tigers to 16-of-47 shooting from the field in the game, including 4-of-17 from three-point land.

Down 8-6 in the first half, the Blue Devils rattled off 12 straight points to take an 18-8 lead with 9:59 on the clock. Both offenses struggled in the final 10 minutes before the break, combining to score only 15 points as the Blue Devils led 22-19 at halftime. It marked the first time this season that Central has led at the half.

In the second half the Tigers tied the game quickly at 23-23 with 17:18 on the clock. Central responded with an 8-2 run, fueled by a pair of three-point baskets by junior guard Ross Pentland. Pentland scored a career-high eight points in the game, including the two threes.

The Tigers responded to tie the game at 42-42 with 3:46 on the clock in the second half. With a two point lead, Ptacek converted a three-point play to give Central the 47-42 lead with under three minutes on the clock. Ptacek finished the game 5-of-12 from the field and 5-of-7 from the line to lead the Blue Devils in scoring for the third straight game.

In the final 2:45 of the game junior guard Shemik Thompson was 4-of-4 from the line and Ptacek his only free-throw attempt. Central shot 10-of-13 from the line in the game.

Ptacek led the way offensively for the Blue Devils with a season-high 16 points and a career-high seven rebounds. Thompson added 15 points, three rebounds and three steals. The two combined to score the final 13 points of the game for the Blue Devils, including 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

The Blue Devils return to action tomorrow night against The Citadel in the second game of the CollegeInsider.com Skip Prosser Memorial Coach of the Year Tournament being played in Charleston, SC. The game will tip at 7:30 p.m., airtime for the game on ESPN Radio 1410 and 1300 and CCSUBlueDevils.com is 7:00 p.m.