NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - FDU men's basketball (11-13, 5-5 NEC) shook off a 21-point halftime deficit and came out of the locker room Saturday outscoring Northeast Conference leader Central Connecticut (15-9, 9-2 NEC) by 12 in the final 20 minutes, though the Blue Devils hung on for a 71-62 victory at Detrick Gymnasium, fending off a ferocious effort by the Knights down the stretch.
FDU's 15 first half points were the fewest by the Knights this season.
With the win, CCSU moves to 4-1 in their last five and gains a half-game lead in the NEC standings in front of Merrimack as of Saturday afternoon. FDU has dropped back-to-back games in NEC play for the first time since the opening weekend, falling to Merrimack (Jan. 4) and Le Moyne (Jan. 6).
Central Connecticut shot 45.2 percent in the opening period, making 14 of their 31 shot attempts for 36 first half points. On the other hand, FDU was held to 15.4 percent from the field from the opening tip with only four field goals in 26 tries. Two of those buckets were three-pointers, courtesy of junior forward
Ansley Almonor (Spring Valley, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional [Mont.]).
FDU out-scored Central Connecticut 47-35 out of the halftime break, doubling their made field goals as the Knights came out with 18-of-40 from the field, compared to 9-of-24 from the home Blue Devils.
"We're really glad we were able to come inside halftime and make an adjustment. Unfortunately, it's been the same story the last couple games that we don't come out consistent," said head coach
Jack Castleberry.
"When we can be mature enough and come out with an intensity and intentionality from the very beginning, we'll be a pretty good basketball team. We have to get back to playing FDU basketball which has a little more heart and aggressiveness to it and is also unselfishness.
Almonor would finish 6-of-14 –– leading all scorers in field goals –– all threes, tying the team high this season which matches his career best. His 18 points led all scorers. Almonor sits with 163 career triples, as the third-year Knight holds sole possession of sixth place all-time at FDU in made three-pointers. The reigning NEC Most Improved Player, Almonor is 15 points away from the 1,000-point milestone (985).
Shaking off the first 20 minutes, FDU came out with a new intensity, starting the half on a 6-0 run, knocking down 4-of-5 from the field with a pair of buckets from the hands of freshman guard
Terrence Brown (Minneapolis, Minn./Columbia Heights).
The Knights would close-in on CCSU inside four minutes remaining in the second half with a trio of three-pointers as
Sean Moore (Columbus, Ohio/Reynoldsburg),
Brayden Reynolds (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and
Davin Francis (Brooklyn, N.Y./South Shore) as the Knights came within as few as four.
"Ru [
Heru Bligen] has been great as of late. It was nice to see
Davin Francis make one. He's a kid who can play at a really high level but is finding himself in the college game," Castleberry added.
Central Connecticut had a game-high lead of 25 with 17:53 to play in regulation.
Kellen Amos paced CCSU's attack with 16 points on 3-of-5 shooting with seven made free throws in eight tries.
FDU hits the road again on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. ET to face LIU on NEC Front Row from the Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Knights return home on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m., hosting Saint Francis U as part of Hall of Fame Weekend. Ticket holders for Saturday's game can purchase a Beer Garden pass for $20 at
FDUKnights.com/BeerGarden.
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Bogota Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor for the 2023-24 FDU men's basketball season.
