Men's Basketball Falls at Stonehill in Final Minute
The Central Connecticut State men's basketball team fell late to Stonehill, 61-59, on Monday in NEC action in Merkert Gymnasium. The Skyhawks would score the final five points over the final 1:01 to hold off the Blue Devils.
Darin Smith, Jr. scored 12 points to lead CCSU, while Jay Rodgers and Melo Sanchez scored 11 points apiece. Central shot 26-of-55 (.473) from the field, hitting 5-of-11 (.459) on three-pointers. CCSU converted 2-of-4 foul shots.
Stonehill was led by Ridvan Tutic and Trenton Ruth with 12 points each. The Skyhawks shot 21-of-52 (.404) overall and 3-of-22 (.136) on three-pointers. Stonehill went 16-of-24 at the foul line.
GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 59, STONEHILL 61
Records: CCSU (10-9, 4-4 NEC), Stonehill (7-14, 4-4 NEC)
Location: Merkert Gymnasium | Easton, MA
KEY MOMENTS
- CCSU would score six unanswered points to take an early 6-2 lead following a layup by Darin Smith, Jr. The Skyhawks would respond with six straight points of their own to take a lead before Melo Sanchez hit a short jumper to tie the game and begin a Central spurt. The run would go to 9-0 and CCSU went ahead, 15-8, after a Ashton Reynolds dunk midway through the opening half.
- The Blue Devils would hold the Skyhawks without a field goal for over five minutes and build their largest lead of the half. A trifecta by Daniel James would make it 21-12 at the 7:21 mark.
- Stonehill would chip away at the Central lead, holding them to a stretch of 1-for-9 shooting and scoreless for over four minutes to close the half. A layup by Ethan Meuser with 3:44 left in the half opened a 7-0 run to close the half. Trenton Rush capped the run just before halftime with a layup to make it 24-23 at the break.
- The Skyhawks tied the game on a foul shot early in the second half, but back-to-back buckets by Sanchez, before a James layup would give CCSU a 30-24 lead. Stonehill came back with a 9-2 run and took a 33-32 lead following a Trenton Ruth three-point play with 14:02 remaining.
- Smith, Jr. would score on back-to-back possessions and Central would hold a lead midway through the second half. Central would not lead by more than three points and the Skyhawks would regain a lead at 43-42 with 8:39 remaining. Central would retake the lead before scoring five straight and going ahead 51-45 on an alley-oop from Jay Rodgers to Max Frazier.
- The Blue Devils extended the lead to as many as seven points before Stonehill trimmed it to just two points with 3:52 remaining. The teams would trade baskets on five straight possessions as it remained a one-possession game until a Davante Hackett jumper tied the game at 56 with 1:40 to play. CCSU answered with a three-pointer by Rodgers to make it 59-56 with 1:15 left.
- A pair of foul shots by Chas Stinson made it a one-point game before Ridvan Tutic made a layup with 21 seconds remaining to put Stonehill ahead 60-59. CCSU would get a final shot, but it was off the mark and Stonehill would collect the rebound and Ruth hit a foul shot before intentionally missing the second.
NUMBER TO KNOW
2 – CCSU went 2-for-4 at the foul line, while Stonehill was 16-of-24.
NOTES
- CCSU had a six-game win streak in the series ended and is 31-8 all-time in the series.
- Smith, Jr. is the only player in the NEC to score in double-figures in every game this season.
- James enjoyed a career-night, making his first start. He matched a personal-best with eight points and eight rebounds. He added two assists, two steals and a block.
- Rodgers and Sanchez scored in double-figures for the seventh and fourth straight game, respectively.
- Central shot 16-of-28 (.571) from the field in the second half.
UP NEXT
- The Blue Devils return to action on Thursday at Wagner as part of a doubleheader. The women's game is at 5:00 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.
Follow @CCSUBlueDevils on X/Twitter and CCSUBlueDevils.com for updates.
