The Central Connecticut State University men’s basketball team lost, 79-74, to the Northeastern University Huskies in a back-and-forth contest at Detrick Gymnasium on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
Jordan Jones and Allan Jeanne-Rose led the Blue Devils, with 22 points for Jones and 21 for Jeanne Rose. Head coach Patrick Sellers emphasized their importance to his team.
“I coached [Jeanne-Rose] his first and second year at Fairfield, so I know he’s a good offensive player, and we just try to put him in spots where he can be successful,” Sellers said. “Jordan Jones is just an energetic, strong, athletic guy who can get into the paint and make a play. So, the more he gets into the paint, the more it helps our offense because we can get easy looks.”
The game was won through the rebounding of the Huskies, outrebounding the Blue Devils 39 to 23. Jones said that it is something his team needs to work on.
“We lost the game today because of rebounds, so that’s something we need to focus on,” Jones said.
The first half was balanced, with neither team able to dominate. The Huskies, particularly Chris Doherty caused many problems for the Blue Devil defense.
“He’s really crafty,” Sellers said. “He did a good job of posting us up and then finding guys on the perimeter.”
The Blue Devils came out on fire in the second half, going on a 13-0 run that left the Huskies shell-shocked. However, the Huskies were able to get back into the game with a couple of open looks and turnovers from the Blue Devils.
CCSU has a quick turnaround, playing Fordham on Dec 21. Sellers said it can strengthen his team.
“I want my guys to compete and attack things, and that’s the mindset we’ve been having all year, and our group of guys are going to have that same mindset when we play Thursday,” Sellers said.
