In a thrilling conclusion to the regular season home schedule, the Central Connecticut State men’s basketball team came back to defeat the Le Moyne Dolphins 84-75 on Thursday, Feb. 27, winning the Northeast Conference Regular Season Championship with one game remaining before the tournament.
From the opening tip, the game promised intensity, with senior guard Joe Ostrowsky drilling a 3-pointer on the first possession, setting the tone for what seemed like a favorable night for the Blue Devils. However, momentum quickly shifted and on the first defensive possession, senior guard Jordan Jones picked up an early foul, forcing him to the bench. Le Moyne capitalized, catching fire from beyond the arc.
The Dolphins were doing everything right in the first half, running off screens, step back 3’s and fastbreak buckets. Le Moyne guard AJ Dancler and forward Nate Fouts proved unstoppable, finishing with 25 and 22 points, respectively. Their hot shooting in the first half gave the visitors a dominant early lead.
“It’s on us as a staff,” Head Coach Patrick Sellers said. “We chose to guard their ball screens differently, and they got a lot of open threes and into a rhythm.”
The team wasn’t willing to give up. According to Sellers, before the coaches walked into the locker room, the players were already discussing adjustments on both ends of the floor, determined to find a way back into the game.
“Jayden Brown said, ‘Coach, we have to switch our calls,’ and he was right,” Sellers said. “They were in the locker room for two or three minutes before us, discussing what to do offensively and defensively. That’s the beauty of having older guys.”
Despite the Dolphins’ offensive surge, the Blue Devils fought to stay within striking distance, closing the gap to 43-37 by halftime. Junior guard Devin Haid, who finished with 18 points, and Ostrowsky, who added nine points and five steals, brought relentless energy. Their defensive presence—jumping passing lanes, grabbing long rebounds and forcing turnovers—kept Central in the contest.
Being battle-tested is something the Blue Devils embrace. Even when things looked bad, Haid said they put their heads down, locked in and played hard.
“Just working hard and never giving up,” Haid said. “We were down a lot this game, so the biggest thing was never giving up—just fighting through it.”
Ostrowsky emphasized the team’s defensive effort.
“Team defense—everyone in the gap,” Ostrowsky said. “When everyone’s in the gap, it’s hard to drive and hard to get a flow on offense.”
The Blue Devils came out of the locker room with a renewed intensity, crashing the boards and playing suffocating defense that forced the Dolphins to commit multiple shot-clock violations. The second half turned into a physical battle, especially in the paint. With senior forward Abdul Momoh down low and senior forward Jayden Brown stretching the floor and hitting shots, the physicality aspect of the second half became an advantage for the Blue Devils who started dominating the game.
Momoh, who contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks, embraced the physicality.
“My coaches and teammates keep me levelheaded,” Momoh said. “It’s not going to go my way every night. It’s my job to just play through it and not let it get to my head.”
Fueled by their second-half surge, the Blue Devils completed the comeback and won 84-75, earning them their 11th victory in a row and improving Central’s record in conference play to 13-2, 22-6 overall. The result also clinched the regular season league title for the Blue Devils, meaning the team will play all of its conference tournament games at home.
Men’s hoops will head to Staten Island for their final regular-season game on Saturday, March 1, when they take on the Wagner Seahawks at Spiro Sports Center.
