The Central men’s basketball team put on a show for fans at Detrick Gymnasium on Sunday, blowing out the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats 100-51 and winning their third-straight game.
With the victory, the Blue Devils improved to 9-4 on the season and set a program-high nine wins in non-conference play. Head Coach Patrick Sellers said that he was proud of the way his team had performed thus far.
“It’s a testament to these guys, how hard they work, how hard they play, and what our program is all about,” Sellers said. “We start phase two this week, getting into conference play.”
Seven Blue Devils scored in double figures during the game. Junior guard Devin Haid led the charge with a double-double, recording 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. Senior guard Jordan Jones tallied a team-high 18 points, while senior forward Abdul Momoh made an impactful return from injury, contributing 13 points and 5 rebounds.
“[Momoh] was bouncy. He was in there. He was active,” Sellers said. “He’s our best 5-man defender. He does a good job on ball-screens… He’s a big piece and we need him. We’re happy to have him back.”
Offensively, Central was firing on all cylinders from the start. It was their second-highest scoring game of the season, thanks in large part to the team’s 28 total assists and efficient shooting. The Blue Devils shot nearly 64% from the field and over 48% from three.
Senior guard Joe Ostrowsky, who had 14 points, 6 assists and 3 steals in the match, attributed the team’s ball movement and selflessness as key factors in the win.
“[We were] just sharing the ball, sharing the ball and not caring who scores or gets the credit,” Ostrowsky said. “When it’s your shot, knock it down, and that’s exactly what [the team] did all day long.”
The Blue Devils dominated on defense as well, holding the Wildcats to only 51 points – the lowest total any team has scored against the Blue Devils this season. Central out-rebounded Johnson & Wales 42-19 and also led the game in blocks and steals.
Sophomore forward Max Frazier had 3 blocks while freshman guard James Jones had 2 blocks. Haid and Ostrowsky were pests in the passing lanes, combining for 9 of the team’s 11 steals.
“Defensively,” Ostrowsky said, “we jump gaps, contest shots and rebound.”
The Blue Devils set the tone early, jumping to a 13-0 lead while holding the Wildcats scoreless for the first five minutes. Johnson & Wales didn’t reach double-digits until around the 6:30 mark of the first half, by which time Central had already built a commanding 26-point lead.
Haid had 3 steals and a buzzer-beating transition dunk in the final four minutes to help the Blue Devils go into halftime with a 54-15 lead.
The second half was more of the same as Frazier opened up the half with a block. The Blue Devils would get their biggest lead of the game after a layup by Jordan Jones with under 10 minutes left put Central up 80-29.
Frazier had a block and scored Central’s final 4 points to close out the win with a final score of 100-51.
The game against Johnson & Wales concluded the non-conference portion of Central’s schedule this season. The Blue Devils open up conference play on Friday, Jan. 3 when they travel to Pennsylvania to take on Saint Francis University.
Sellers said that as they go into their first conference game of the season, Central will have a target on its back.
“Coach Krimmel is one of the best coaches in our league. They’ve done really well at home,” Sellers said. “Everybody is going to be gunning for us. When they tip the ball off in conference play, it’s always a different feel… we’re looking forward to going there and doing our thing.”
