The Central Connecticut State University men’s basketball team conquered the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders 78-67 in Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Central’s win raised their non-conference record to 3-4 as they continue to tune up for Northeast Conference play.
Offensively, Central focused on long-range shooting and shot selection, two aspects of the game they struggled with out of the gate.
But, the Blue Devils came out firing and continued to bury threes at a high rate, finishing the game 10 of 20 from long range and 28 of 58 overall from the field.
Head coach Patrick Sellers made a point in the preseason to have his team practice good shot selection and limiting turnovers. Sellers said he implanted a new rule in his offense that has drastically cut down on offensive mistakes.
“If you drive in and kick, you can’t double drive,” Sellers said. “That’s really taken away a lot of our turnovers and has really gotten us rhythm, open shots.”
Four Blue Devils scored in double figures in the game, led by senior Jordan Jones’s 18 points.
Senior Kellen Amos could not be slowed down at any level of the game, as he tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Despite the impressive stat line, Amos said he is not concerned about his stats and focuses on doing the little things to help the team.
“I’m not really worried about stats,” Amos said. “Coming into this year, I’m just trying to do more because I know I’m going to have games where I’m not making shots.”
Defensive play has been integral to the Blue Devils’ identity, and nobody embodies it more than Tre Breland.
Breland shot an efficient 5 of 6 from the floor, 2 of 3 from three, for 12 points. He added four rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Breland said he has embraced his role coming off of the bench.
“I’m the energy guy, the glue guy,” Breland said. “I’m not going to score a million points every game, but I’m going to play hard and help my team win.”
The Blue Devils are on the road for their next three games and will be back in Detrick Gymnasium on Dec. 19.
