By Chris McLaughlin
It was a nail biter in a boring sort of way as the CCSU men’s basketball team hung on for a 57-56 victory over Sacred Heart Thursday.
With both teams struggling offensively, the game was close throughout. While defense was a factor, both teams missed shots that normally would fall.
Neither team lead by double digits, but the Blue Devils (18-8) stayed on top for the majority of the game. Down one in the final seconds, Sacred Heart (9-17) had time for one last chance to pull off the upset, but was unable to do so, missing the final shot.
“Well it wasn’t picturesque,” said Head Coach Howie Dickenman. “We lacked the poise we are accustomed to having, it was very un-Blue Devil like. The way we played it’s a wonder we’ve won 18 games, but we escaped, and we won, that’s what the final score said anyway.”
Both teams got off to a slow start with neither team scoring in the first two minutes of play. Things picked up once the teams settled into the game, but points were still hard to come by in the first half. The Blue Devils shot just 26 percent in the first half and Sacred Heart was only slightly better. Even foul shots weren’t going in, as neither team shot for a respectable percent from the charity stripe.
“We didn’t play our best and we know it, but we did win the game so it’s on to the next one.” said Ken Horton.
Each time a team got a run going it was matched. While CCSU slowly built up a nine-point lead, Sacred Heart erased it before the Blue Devils could score again. With the game tied, Vince Rosario hit a three pointer to give CCSU the lead. Since Sacred Heart only brought the lead to one, the three pointer would be the difference in the half and ultimately the game.
“We made a lot of silly mistakes,” said Dickenman. “We missed shots we shouldn’t have but we have to give Sacred Heart credit. They were almost eliminated from the tournament but still played as hard as they always play.”
When the second half started, so did the offense. Both teams came out with a chip on their shoulder and shots that clanged off the rim before swished through the net. After being limited in the first half offensively, Ken Horton came out strong in the second and took over the game for a struggling CCSU. Horton was feeling it and knocked down four three-pointers in the second half to keep Sacred Heart at bay. He finished with a game high 18 points, including 14 in the second half.
“When I missed those free throws in the first I kind of took myself out of the game, so coming out in the second half I wanted to make sure I was aggressive and made my shots, and luckily I was able to,” said Horton.
Like the first half, however, Sacred Heart was there to match whatever the Blue Devils had done. Once again, CCSU jumped out to a nine point lead but it quickly vanished. Though Sacred Heart responded to CCSU’s runs, it couldn’t make up the difference the Blue Devils’ three-pointers gave them. CCSU connected on nine three-pointers while Sacred Heart only four. In a game where CCSU shot from a lower percent, the nine threes were crucial.
“Vince made three three-pointers, Ken made five, and we needed every one of them,” said Dickenman.
With 25 seconds left, Sacred Heart began its last drive of the game, down only one. Instead of looking for a quick shot, Sacred Heart dribbled the clock down in an attempt to hit the game-winning buzzer beater. This allowed CCSU to settle on defense and put the pressure to Sacred Heart. With no time left Nick Greenbacker forced a contested three and bricked it.
“We didn’t make good decisions with the opportunities we had, but when it came down to when we had to make a stop I thought we did a good job, and forced them to shoot the ball with the last person they wanted to shoot the ball,” said Dickenman.
Already a lock for the NEC tournament, the Blue Devils will continue to battle for home court advantage as the season winds down. With only three games left, the Blue Devils play its final home game against Quinnipiac before closing out the regular season in New York.
