The Central Connecticut State University men’s basketball team defeated the in-state rival Sacred Heart University, 77-70, on Thursday in Detrick Gymnasium.
The win improved Central’s record to 8-2 in the Northeast Conference and clinched a NEC Tournament berth. The win also matched Central’s winningest season since 2017-18.
The Pioneers led most of the first half thanks to 10 Blue Devil turnovers. However, the Blue Devils went on an 11-4 scoring run to take a slim 34-32 lead into the half.
Central retained the lead for the entire second half, building it to as much as 11 before Sacred Heart closed it to within two with 2:21 to play.
On the following possession, senior guard Tre Breland hit a three-pointer to put the Blue Devils up five, and they cruised from there to a seven-point victory.
Head coach Patrick Sellers led the Blue Devils to their first victory over the Pioneers in their last 15 matchups, dating back to the 2014-15 season.
“We wanted to get the monkey off our back,” Sellers said. “It’s something we talked about all week, and the way we would be able to do it is with our defense, our rebounding, and getting out into transition.”
Senior guard Jordan Jones was the offensive star of the game, tallying 33 points, a new career high.
“All the numbers and accolades do mean a lot,” Jones said. “But what matters most to me is doing whatever I can to help. I just want to cut down the net here and help the team win.”
Junior forward Jayden Brown, who scored 11 points of his own, was impressed with the crowd of 2,023, a season-high attendance.
“The crowd played a big part because we feed off their energy,” Brown said. “It even felt like the crowd let some of our shots go in.”
The Blue Devils now turn their attention to a home matchup with Fairleigh Dickinson University, a team Central beat on the road earlier in the season. Despite the earlier result, Sellers anticipates a different type of game this time around.
“They are well-coached and really good in transition,” he said. “We have to take care of the ball, get into our half-court offense, and get good quality shots.”
The Blue Devils will look to sweep Fairleigh Dickinson for the season when they return to Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m. for a Taylor Swift-themed game.
