The Central Connecticut State University men’s basketball program ended its 2022-2023 season the same way it ended its last season, with a loss in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament.

The Blue Devils went into this year’s tournament as the sixth seed and faced off against the three-seeded Saint Francis University. With the Red Flash being the higher seed, the Blue Devils hit the road and traveled to Loretta, Pennsylvania, where they were defeated 83 to 69 on Wednesday, March 1.

The Blue Devils had four players with double-digit points in the game. Junior Kellen Amos led the way for all CCSU starters with 13, while sophomore Jayden Brown added 13 of his own off the bench. Sophomore Andre Snoddy contributed with a 12-point 12-rebound double-double.

Despite a strong effort on the offensive side of the court, the Blue Devils had no answer for the Red Flash’s Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Year, Josh Cohen. Cohen had a game-high 25 points and added 12 rebounds to go with it.

With the win over the Blue Devils, Saint Francis advances to the NEC conference semifinals where they will take on the two-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson University on Saturday, March 4.

Despite losing in the first round of the NEC Tournament for the second straight year in a row, the Blue Devils improved in several statistical categories this season. They compiled a total of 219 three-pointers made, the fourth most in the program’s history. They also finished the season with 122 blocked shots, the seventh most in program history.

The Blue Devils finished the regular season with an overall record of 10-22 and a 7-9 record in conference play. They improved their overall win total by two games and picked up three more conference wins than they had last season.

Amos led the Blue Devils in scoring for the season with an average of 14.1 points per game, while Snoddy led the team in the team in rebounds this season. CCSU also had a pair of sophomores that hit at least 40% of their three-point attempts, Davonte Sweatman (41%) and Kyle Rocker (40%).

CCSU’s lone senior, Nigel Scantlebury, will be moving on from the team and will not be back next season. Scantlebury averaged ten points per game this year and led the team in assists with an average of three per game. With the rest of the team expected to return next season, they will likely look within the current roster to make up for the loss of Scantlebury.