The dreaded Pennsylvania road trip stared Central Connecticut’s men’s basketball team in the face this past weekend as they took on Saint Francis (PA) and Robert Morris, the two top teams in the Northeast Conference.

Though they were unable to top the Red Flash, they handled Robert Morris in a nine-point victory.

It was senior forward Tyler Kohl that kept the Blue Devils in the game against SFU. Kohl had 35 points on nearly 50 percent shooting to go with five rebounds, seven assists and four steals, the first player in the country to boast that stat line this season.

But very much like the first time the two teams met, the Blue Devils struggled to defend the three, allowing the Red Flash to connect on over 42 percent of their attempts.

“We didn’t play tough at first. It wasn’t until we got down that we started playing better. Guys were going to the basket and looking to get fouled instead of finishing at the rim and getting the foul after that. We’ve got to learn to play through that,” Marshall said. “We’ve just got to focus on us.”

Central was unable to overcome the multiple double-digit Red Flash leads, falling by a score of 90-85.

The Blue Devils remained in state to take on Robert Morris, the NEC leaders at the time. They marched in and knocked off the number one team by a score of 78-69.

Kohl once again led the way with 23 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The two performances led to him being named NEC Player of the Week for the sixth time this season, a new conference record.

Marshall said the Kohl was one of the keys to victory, helping his teammates get better.

“We shared the basketball. Tyler believed in his teammates. He did a good job of getting in the paint in the first half,” Marshall said. “In the second half when he got in, he was able to collapse the defense and hit guys that were open and they had the confidence to shoot and make it.”

Marshall was also pleased with his team’s ability to keep the Colonials off the three-point line, forcing them to shoot a measly 22.6 percent from behind the arc.

In both contests, the Blue Devils essentially played seven guys the entire game, with freshman Mike Underwood seeing one and two minutes, respectively.

They were shorthanded against SFU as they were without senior center Deion Bute. Bute was replaced in the lineup by freshman Karrington Wallace, who saw 21 minutes, the third most on his season. But when Bute returned to take on RMU, Wallace did not see a minute.

Marshall said the lineup will depend on who will help the team win.

“We can go eight or nine deep, but at the end of the day we’re going to go with who’s playing well, who’s rolling,” Marshall said. “I can’t tell you it’s going to be seven or six or nine. It’s all about who’s playing well.”

They are also rolling with just one true point guard in Tyson Batiste. Freshman Thai Segwai, who saw significant minutes through the team’s first 20 games, has not appeared in the last four.

Kohl has been relied on to handle to the ball when Batiste is not on the floor.

“I think Tyler has been getting us going early. You’ve got guys who can shoot the ball with him in the game so you have to pay attention to all five guys on the court,” Marshall said of Kohl.

“Then Tyson comes in and he’s been doing a good job on the defensive end, sharing the basketball and being a leader,” Marshall continued. “For us, it’s just been a good mixture because when you bring Tyson in, you can bring him in for a few people.”

Though the Blue Devils knocked off the then top team in the conference, Marshall is looking at it like any other win.

“We’re going out there to play whoever is in front of us, whether you’re first, last, middle, whatever. We’ve got to win every game,” Marshall said.

The Blue Devils will travel to Staten Island, NY to take on Wagner on Thursday, where they will look to avenge a 22-point loss to the Seahawks in early January, without Kohl. Though they will have Kohl, Marshall said his team must be tough, box out and keep them off the three-point line.