Men's Basketball Uses Late Heroics to Hold Off Sacred Heart in OT, 108-106

The Central Connecticut State men's basketball team outlasted Sacred Heart, 108-106, in an overtime thriller on Monday night at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, CT. Jay Rodgers sent the game to overtime with a three-pointer with nine seconds left, before assisting on the game-winning dunk by Max Frazier with 0:02 to play.

Darin Smith, Jr. led a trio of Blue Devils in double-figures with a career-high 38 points. Frazier finished with a personal-best 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while Melo Sanchez matched his personal-best at CCSU with 17 points. The Blue Devils shot 38-of-62 (.613) overall and 7-of-16 (.438) from three-point range. CCSU was 25-of-33 (.758) from the foul line.

Anquan Hill led Sacred Heart with 34 points. The Pioneers shot 34-of-67 (.507) from the field and 13-of-30 (.433) from the arc, while going 25-of-26 (.962) at the foul line.

GAME INFORMATION |  BOX SCORE
Score:  CCSU 108, SACRED HEART 106 (ot)
Records: CCSU (4-2, 0-0 NEC), SHU (2-4, 0-0 MAAC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS

• CCSU took an early 10-6 lead following a three-pointer by Smith, Jr. Sacred Heart responded with a 9-2 run to go ahead 13-10 after a layup by Hill five minutes into the game.
• The Blue Devils would force SHU into six straight misses over four-minute span to take a four-point lead.  A jumper put the Pioneers ahead 25-21 at the 11:11 mark before Central ran off eight straight points. Daniel James opened the spurt with a layup and Smith, Jr. scored back-to-back baskets to make it 29:25 with 7:44 to go in the half.
• CCSU closed the half with seven straight made shots, but a SHU three-pointer just before buzzer cut the Blue Devils' lead to 54-51 at the intermission.
• Central would extend their streak to eight straight made shots and scored the first five points of the second half, but a pair of technical fouls on CCSU kept the game close. SHU missed its first five field goals of the second half and a three-point play by Sanchez gave CCSU its largest lead at 66-55 with 16:19 to play.
• A pair of foul shots by Frazier put CCSU ahead 81-74 with 7:46 left, but SHU would hold Central without a field goal for nearly nine minutes. The Pioneers used a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the second half at 84-83 with 4:11 to play.
• SHU would extend its lead to 89-84 with 2:34 to play, but Central kept its composure and a hook shot by Frazier with 0:28 to play would end the Blue Devils' field goal drought and make it a one-point game. Following a pair of SHU foul shots, Rodgers would hit his only trey of the night to make it 93-93 with 0:09 to play.
• In overtime, the Pioneers would lead by as much as 98-95, but a dunk by James Jones sparked a run of six points to put CCSU ahead. Hill hit back-to-back treys to tie the game at 106, but with 0:02 to play, Rodgers fed Frazier with a lob and he slammed it home for the win.

NUMBER TO KNOW

54 – CCSU took advantage of a 54-38 advantage in points in the paint.

NOTES

• The game marked the first time since Dec. 18, 2005 that CCSU and its opponent both scored 100+. (107-106, 4ot loss vs. LaSalle)
• Smith, Jr. was 12-of-21 overall and hit three treys. He was 11-of-12 at the stripe, while adding five rebounds and four assists. He is the first Blue Devil to score 30+ since Jordan Jones had 33 against Sacred Heart on Feb. 8, 2024.
• Frazier chipped in five rebounds and four blocked shots.
• Sanchez hit three three-pointers and had three assists and three steals.
• Rodgers finished with seven points, 10 assists and two steals. In his last 59 minutes of action, Rodgers has 19 assists against three turnovers.
• Jones had a game-high 11 rebounds for CCSU.
• James finished with eight points in 19 minutes.
• CCSU is 39-36 all-time against Sacred Heart and 5-2 all-time in overtime games in the series.

UP NEXT

• CCSU hosts Johnson & Wales on Sunday afternoon.

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