Men's Basketball Wins Convincingly Over Wagner on Saturday
The Central Connecticut State men's basketball team capped off a three-game homestand with a convincing 84-67 win over Wagner on Saturday in NEC action. The Blue Devils trailed for just 42 seconds in the game and would lead by as many as 23 points in the second half.
Darin Smith, Jr. scored 25 points and Max Frazier added 21 points to lead CCSU, while Jay Rodgers finished with 14 points. James Jones grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Central shot 27-of-47 (.574) from the field, and 6-of-11 (.545) on three-pointers. CCSU converted 24-of-31 foul shots.
Eddie Placer scored 26 points to lead Wagner. The Seahawks shot 24-of-64 (.375) overall and 9-of-27 (.333) on three-pointers. Wagner was 10-of-14 at the foul line.
GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 84, WAGNER 67
Records: CCSU (13-10, 7-5 NEC), WAG (8-14, 3-8 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT
KEY MOMENTS
- Central would jump out to a quick 8-4 lead following a Darin Smith, Jr. dunk at the 16:34 mark that led to a Wagner timeout. Wagner would roll off five quick points for its only lead of the day, but just 18 seconds later Smith, Jr. hit a jumper to give the Blue Devils the lead again. A three-pointer by Roddy Jones would make it 13-9 at the 12:45 mark. An alley-oop from Melo Sanchez to Max Frazier would make it a five-point game midway through the opening half.
- After Wagner tied the game 20-20 at the 7:15 mark, the teams would trade leads on the ensuing three possessions until a James Jones layup and three-pointer by Smith, Jr. made it 26-22. A bucket in the paint by Daniel James would push the lead to six at the 4:15 mark. The Blue Devils would extend their lead after a Roddy Jones three made it 33-24. Although CCSU did not have a field goal over the final 2:49, a trio of foul shots in the final 1:10 would help put the Blue Devils ahead 38-28 at halftime.
- CCSU would hold Wagner to one field goal in the opening three minutes and scored seven straight points to open a 15-point lead. A three-point play by Smith, Jr. and a James layup would make it 45-30 at the 17:08 mark.
- The Seahawks shot just 2-of-9 from the floor to open the half, but would manage to trim the CCSU lead to 49-41 with 14:04 to play after a Eddie Placer three-pointer. That would be as close as the game would get as Roddy Jones would hit a three-pointer to open a 8-0 run capped off by a Frazier jumper to make it 60-43 with 10:06 to go.
- The game would be no closer than 15 points the rest of the way. A three-pointer by Rodgers with 2:04 to play gave CCSU its largest lead of the day at 81-58.
NUMBER TO KNOW
3 – Smith, Jr. and Frazier scored 20+ points in the same game for the third time on the season. CCSU is 2-1 in those games.
NOTES
- Smith, Jr. posted 20+ points for the 13th time this season. He shot 7-of-16 on the day and was 9-for-9 at the foul line.
- Frazier shot 7-of-8 and added seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
- Rodgers added five assists in the game and was 7-of-10 at the foul line.
- James Jones added six points and CCSU was +27 when he was on the court.
- Roddy Jones finished 3-of-4 on three-point attempts.
- CCSU outrebounded Wagner, 36-28, and outscored the Seahawks, 34-22, in the paint.
- Wagner leads the all-time series, 37-27, but CCSU has won three straight matchups.
UP NEXT
- The Blue Devils take a short road trip to New Haven on Thursday night.
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