An overtime thriller saw the Central Connecticut State men’s basketball team reach the Northeast Conference Championship for the first time since 2007 after defeating the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights 76-72 in the semifinals on Saturday, March. 8, at Detrick Gymnasium.
“That game is what March Madness is all about,” Head Coach Patrick Sellers said.
Junior guard Devin Haid led the Blue Devils with a season-high 29 points on an efficient 12 of 16 from the field and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block. Senior guard, and NEC Player of the Year, Jordan Jones had 17 points and stole the ball three times.
Fueled by Haid’s eight points, that included two 3-pointers, the Blue Devils began the game on a 10-0 run and held FDU scoreless for the first four minutes. However, once the Knights took the lid off the hoop, they went on a 9-0 run. After each team went on their runs, both started trading baskets, and the score was 21-15 with the Blue Devils leading at the 9:55 mark.
The game took a turn once the Knights tried to run a zone defense against the Blue Devils. In the last 9:05 of the first half, Central ended the half on a 20-9 run. The Blue Devils countered FDU’s zone defense with quick ball movement and made four 3-pointers in that span. The Blue Devils led 41-24 at the end of the first half. Haid erupted for 17 points, and CCSU shot 9 of 18 from beyond the arc while FDU shot 2 of 14 from deep.
Haid described his offensive mentality during the first half of the match.
“After I’ve seen the first couple [shots] go in, it was just [about] staying in attack mode, staying aggressive,” he said.
In the second half, the Blue Devils were able to increase their lead to 21 points. Around the 10-minute mark, FDU decided to switch to a full court press. As soon as they upped the full court pressure, they began to force turnovers. FDU cut the lead to single digits with 7:49 remaining in the second half, forcing CCSU Head Coach Patrick Sellers to call a timeout. After the break, FDU cut the deficit to two points thanks to sophomore guard Jameel Morris’ 3-pointer with 1:22 remaining, silencing the home crowd.
FDU’s Terrence Brown made a tough midrange jumper to tie the game up at 66-66, and with 18.6 seconds remaining, senior guard Joe Ostrowsky dribbled up the court, ran the clock down, and drove to the basket. With 6 seconds remaining, he pump-faked when he was in the paint, then went up for a layup. The ball rolled halfway in, then out. No one was able to control the missed shot, so the clock expired, and the game headed to overtime.
Senior forward Abdul Momoh was the first person to score in overtime with two huge free throws, his only two points of the game. FDU forward Jo’el Emanuel was doing his best to keep the Knights in the game, throwing down a monstrous putback dunk that cut the deficit to only two points with 2:25 remaining. FDU’s Morris hit another clutch 3-pointer with 48 seconds left in overtime to cut the lead to 2 points. With seven seconds left, Brown tried to hit a backdoor cutter, but Jones stole the ball and was fouled. Jones calmly walked to the foul line and knocked down both free throws. There was not enough time left for FDU, and the Blue Devils squeaked past the Knights.
FDU’s Brown ranks top 10 in the country in points per game, averaging 20.7. The Blue Devils held him to 16 points and only four points in the first half. Sellers praised Brown’s playstyle, comparing him to NBA talents.
“Just put him in a crowd, he’s going to have to see two or three bodies the whole night,” he said. “He has one of the quickest first steps in the country, where he can get downhill so quick, and he has the ability, almost like Luka Doncic, to stop on a dime and shot fake and get you off balance. He’s great at it.”
Jones talked about his teammates shot-making and his team-first mentality.
“If my team is doing good, it doesn’t matter who it is, it [still] feels good,” he said. “The season now is one game elimination. [If] you lose, you’re done, so any self-driven things that you’ve got going on goes out the window. It’s all team-motivated now. I could’ve had 0 points today and would’ve been happy if we got the win.”
With the victory, CCSU increases their winning streak to 14 games, the longest active winning streak in Division I men’s basketball. The Blue Devils will face the Saint Francis Red Flash in the NEC Championship on Tuesday, March. 9, at Detrick Gymnasium. The Blue Devils will be looking to win their first conference tournament since 2007. The winner of the game will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
