The Men’s basketball team took down Chicago State University at home on Sunday afternoon, improving their record to 5-2 in conference play and 14-6 overall. With Long Island University dropping an overtime thriller to Mercyhurst the same day, Central is back in the race for the Northeast Conference title, a trophy that the program hasn’t raised since 2007.
Central had five players score in double-digits during the game. Junior guard Devin Haid led the team in points and rebounds with 17 and 7 respectively, while nabbing 2 steals and shooting 7-of-8 from the floor. Senior guard Jordan Jones also had a strong showing with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Senior guard Joe Ostrowsky and freshmen guard Darin Smith Jr. each chipped in 11 points, while senior forward Abdul Momoh contributed 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Offensively, Haid said the team did a good job sharing the ball.
“When we move the ball around, we get good shots,” Haid said. “They switched a lot on defense, so when we move the ball and we cut, things open up.”
Head Coach Patrick Sellers was also pleased with the team’s offensive production.
“We’ve been working the last week or two in practice getting the ball up early, getting the ball moving,” Sellers said. “[We] had 93 against Le Moyne and 20 assists. We had 18 assists today and 81 points because we’re getting the ball moving.”
Chicago State fouled the Blue Devils 20 times during the game, giving Central opportunities from the free throw line where they went 19-of-27.
“It’s just about being aggressive,” Haid said. “When you’re aggressive and go to the rim, you tend to draw more fouls.”
Central held the lead the entire game, extending it to 27 points with 9:51 left in the second half, thanks in large part to their defense. The Blue Devils had a total of 11 steals and forced 13 turnovers, while keeping Le Moyne from scoring in the first 4:20 of the second half. Central went on an 8-0 run and this effectively decided the game, putting CCSU up 16 with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Coach Sellers credited his assistants with helping him adjust the team’s defense from week to week.
“Coach [Lenny] Jefferson and Coach [Ben] Wood,” Sellers said, “they do a great job with the scouting reports, so we can see the actions that teams are doing. We can tell guys, ‘If [the opposing team] do this action, we’re gonna do this,’ and these [players] are so mature, they can pretty much take that, and do it.”
The Blue Devils held Chicago State to just 40.7% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc while only committing eight total fouls.
In the first half, Central jumped out to a 7-2 lead, with Jordan Jones getting a quick 5 points, but Chicago State was able to stay in it, going on a 5-2 run of their own. Once the Blue Devils’ bench unit came in, they quickly made an impact, with a steal from sophomore forward Max Frazier leading to a bucket from senior guard Jaelen McGlon, putting Central up 11-7.
Central’s ability to draw fouls shined as they already found themselves in the bonus with 7:46 left in the half, leading to a free throw from Ostrowsky which extended their lead to 19-13. Chicago State then went on a 7-0 run which was only ended by an and-1 layup from Jordan Jones. Finishing out the half, senior forward Jayden Brown had a huge slam, giving Central a 30-22 lead going into halftime.
The Blue Devils would dominate the first few minutes of the second half again, spearheaded by 4 points from Jordan Jones, as well as a huge lob from Ostrowsky to Momoh. This stretch helped determine the outcome of the game. During half time, Sellers emphasized pace of play and floor spacing.
“[Before] halftime, we were getting the ball up quickly, but we weren’t moving side to side,” Sellers said. “So I just told them, we have got to get it up quicker and move side to side, try to take away the help defense, and be able to get some guys at the rim and good looks, and that’s what happened.”
The 3-pointers began to fall as Haid drained a shot from the wing, followed by a bucket through the lane. Smith then joined in, splashing two 3-pointers from the corner, putting Central up 54-30.
The rest of the game was more of the same. Haid had a stretch of points by drawing fouls and going to the line, Smith and Ostrowsky continued to let it rain from deep, and Central would cruise to a 81-64 victory.
Men’s hoops will travel to New York to take on Long Island University on Thursday, January 30th, at 7 p.m. in a game with huge implications. With LIU’s recent loss to Mercyhurst, the Blue Devils are just half a game behind the Sharks.
The winner of Thursday night’s game has an advantage in the conference tournament and will have a shot at playing in the NCAA March Madness tournament.
