The Central Connecticut State University men’s basketball team fell just short in a grueling Northeast Conference championship game, losing to Saint Francis (Pa.) 46-43 on Tuesday night, March 11.
The Environment leading up to tip off was infectious. All the spectators were ready and eager to watch how the game was going to be played out.
“It was great,” senior guard Joe Ostrowsky said. “The community, the fans, they all showed up for us and did a great job. [We] Definitely felt it. [We] Just couldn’t get it done.”
The Blue Devils struggled offensively throughout the contest and were unable to find their rhythm in a game marked by low scoring and lots of missed opportunities. Only shooting 30% from the field for the entire game head Coach Patrick Sellers summed it up bluntly.
“Tonight, we just didn’t have our A game or our B game,” he said.
Both teams got off to a sluggish start, with CCSU and SFU tied at 20 at halftime. Despite holding the Red Flash to just 20 first-half points, the Blue Devils couldn’t capitalize offensively. The Blue Devils were off to a cold start but played solid defense, ending the game with a team total of 6 steals. They were still in the game at the half.
Sellers said that he thought the team’s anxiety around the championship game played a role in the loss.
“Part of it I thought was nerves, and it was to be expected at the beginning of the game,” he said. “But it just kind of bled in throughout the game, and we never got into a comfortable rhythm. We got some clean stops on defense in transition, we just didn’t get into a rhythm.”
The Blue Devils didn’t shy away from the challenge. When halftime came, they went to the drawing board.
Haid, who ended the game with 14 points and 5 rebounds, had a positive outlook on how the game was going.
“When we realized we only had 20 points at halftime, it was just like, ‘Let’s go. We’ve got to pick it up,’” junior guard Devin Haid said. “We kept them at 20 points. That’s what we wanted to do—keep them under 30. So, it was just like, ‘We’ve got to go. It’s time to turn it up a notch.’”
But the second half played out much like the first, with CCSU struggling to generate offense. SFU took the lead late, and with nine seconds remaining, the Blue Devils had a final chance to tie or take the lead. Instead, they turned the ball over, sealing the game. The Blue Devils, who had been hot from 3-point range in their last two games, shot only 17% from deep against the Red Flash.
“We’re not a great shooting team from 3. . . But we could score,” Sellers said. “We could really score because of not double driving and the ball going from side to side. And we usually do a really good job of that. And tonight, it stuck on one side of the floor, and we had a number of double drives. That really hurt our offense.”
For some Blue Devils, the loss marks the end of the season. For others, it marks the end of their college careers. Guards Ostrowsky, Jordan Jones, Davonte Sweatman, Jay Rodgers and Jaelen McGlone, along with forwards Jayden Brown and Abdul Momoh, all played their final game in a CCSU jersey.
Sellers reflected on their impact on the program and how far along they’ve come.
“I can’t say enough about those guys,” he said. “They came here with four other freshmen—eight in total. Those four stuck it out and had tremendous success. Back-to-back 20-win seasons, the first time in school history, a 14-game winning streak. That group accomplished a lot.”
As CCSU looks ahead, Sellers made it clear that the departing players will always be part of the program’s legacy.
“They’re family,” he said. “If Joe wants to coach, he’ll always have a spot with me. [Momoh] and [Brown] might sign contracts in Europe. [Momoh] might even have another year—we’re waiting on an NCAA waiver. But no matter what, they’ll always have a home here.”
