Smith's 40 Leads Men's Basketball by New Haven
Darin Smith, Jr. scored a career-high 40 points to push Central Connecticut State by New Haven, 81-76, in NEC men's basketball action on Thursday night. The Blue Devils won their third straight conference game, while Smith, Jr. posted the program's first 40-point game in 13 years..
aSmith, Jr. shot 13-of-20 from the field, 3-of-5 from the arc, and made all 11 of his foul shots. Jay Rodgers and Roddy Jones each added 12 points. Central shot 28-of-49 (.571) from the field, and 9-of-16 (.563) on three-pointers. CCSU made 16-of-22 (.727) foul shots.
Jabri Fitzpatrick led New Haven with 20 points. The Chargers shot 25-of-55 (.455) overall and 5-of-17 (.294) on three-pointers. New Haven was 21-of-22 at the foul line.
GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 81, NEW HAVEN 76
Records: CCSU (14-10, 8-5 NEC), NHVN (10-15, 5-7 NEC)
Location: Hazell Center | West Haven, CT
KEY MOMENTS
- The teams traded runs over the opening five-plus minutes. Back-to-back jumpers by Daniel James and Darin Smith, Jr. opened the scoring before New Haven took a brief lead with five unanswered points. Following a three-minute scoring drought, Smith, Jr. would hit a three-pointer and a jumper to restore the Blue Devils' advantage at 9-5 at the 15:02 mark.
- The Blue Devils would maintain the lead, and a pair of foul shots by Smith, Jr. would push CCSU's lead to its largest of the period at 23-15. New Haven missed its first four three-pointers until Aidan Losiewicz made it 27-24. The Chargers would run off five points in a 1:22 span to retake the lead. A three-pointer by Kheni Briggs tied the game at 29-29 before a Jabri Fitzpatrick jumper made it 31-29 with 4:25 to go in the half. The lead would expand to 33-29 before a three-pointer by Smith, Jr. ended the 7-0 run.
- Central would retake the lead before halftime with a quick 12-0 run in the final 3:29 of the half. Jay Rodgers would follow Smith's trey with five straight points to put CCSU ahead. A layup by Smith, Jr. with 24 seconds left in the half would make it 41-33 going into halftime.
- A driving layup by Smith, Jr. on the opening possession of the second half would extend the run and push the lead to double-digits. The lead would expand to 58-43 with 13:46 to play after Smith, Jr. hit a trio of foul shots, pushing him past 30 points in the game.
- The Chargers would cut the lead in half in under a minute. Back-to-back three-pointers, followed by two free throws would cut the lead to 58-51 with 12:57 remaining. Roddy Jones would hit a three-pointer to push the lead back to double-figures, followed by two foul shots by Smith, Jr. and a Rodgers step back would make it 65-51 midway through the second half.
- The Blue Devils would lead by as many as 15 points in the second half before New Haven mounted a late charge. A foul shot was followed by a layup by Najimi George and a Andre Pasha hook shot to trim the lead to 72-62. Following an alley oop from Rodgers to Max Frazier, a three-pointer by Jabri Fitzpatrick would make it a single-digit game with 4:11 left. The Chargers would hold CCSU to one field goal in the last 4:39 and got within four points in the final minute, but a foul shot by Elijah Parker followed by a New Haven turnover ended the game.
NUMBER TO KNOW
81 – By scoring 81 points in the win, CCSU improved to 53-15 under Patrick Sellers when scoring 70 or more points.
NOTES
- Smith, Jr. became the first Blue Devil to score 40 points in a game since Kyle Vinales had 42 at Wagner on Feb. 14, 2013.
- Smith, Jr. is the first NEC player to scor 40 points this season and he surpassed 20 points in a game for the 14th time this season and went past 30 points for the third time.
- Rodgers finished with a game-high seven assists, marking his 20th game of the season with at least five assists.
- Roddy Jones hit his first three three-point attempts of the night and is 10-of-14 in the last three games.
- The Blue Devils improved to 3-1 in games decided by five points or fewer and 10-3 on the season when scoring 70 or more points.
- CCSU is 30-16 all-time in the series and has won four straight matchups.
UP NEXT
- The Blue Devils are back in action on Saturday at FDU in a 2:00 p.m. contest.
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