Three takeaways from CCSU’s sixth straight win as Blue Devils rout FDU

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — If you haven’t been paying much attention to Northeast Conference basketball this season, then you probably aren’t aware of the best team in the conference to this point in Central Connecticut State.

CCSU is now 17-6 on the season and 8-2 in league play after defeating second-place FDU on Thursday, handling the Knights by the final of 87-66.

In a game that featured many ups and downs for the Blue Devils, here are three takeaways from the team’s sixth straight victory:

Devin Haid’s emergence continues

Coming into the season, everyone expected Jordan Jones to be the guy for Patrick Sellers and Central, and while he has had a solid season, it doesn’t compare to what Devin Haid has done. The transfer from Division II Notre Dame (OH) had a career-high 25 points in the win over the Knights and has been the most consistent Blue Devil all season long.

“If we stay together, then it’s hard to stop us,” Haid said. “We’re just playing unselfish, playing hard, and playing defense.”

Haid only missed one field goal inside the arc, was perfect at the stripe, and added eight rebounds. It was his fifth game of the season scoring 20 or more points and the third time in NEC play he’s reached that mark. With how the Blue Devils’ offensive scheme runs, it will be crucial for Haid to continue to be the focal point as the season progresses.

Defense turned it on late

CCSU led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but saw the lead dwindle down to four at halftime, and shortly after the intermission, FDU took its first lead of the game. After a Sellers timeout when the score was tied at 48, the Blue Devils closed the game on a 39-18 run to secure the big win.

“We changed it at halftime,” Sellers said of his team’s defensive game plan. “We did a good job limiting (Terrence) Brown in the second half and that took them off their game a bit.”

Brown, who came into the game seventh in the country averaging 20.9 points per game, had 19 in the first half alone. He only scored 10 in the second half to finish with a career-high 29, but he got fewer looks thanks to tight defense from guys like Joe Ostrowsky and Jordan Jones. With Brown covered up, the Knights looked out of sorts on the offense end, which allowed Central to balloon the lead.

Depth steps up

Sellers has only used 11 players all season and two of them—Davonte Sweatman and Max Frazier—were unavailable on Thursday. The bench unit of Darin Smith, Jr., James Jones and Jaelen McGlone provided a much needed spark to the second half, and all three were out there when Central was making its run.

The one-time Rider Bronc McGlone had one of his best performances amongst his limited chances this season. Missing the first 17 games due to injury, he has slowly been inserted into the rotation. After FDU head coach Jack Castleberry called a timeout when the Central lead grew to eight points, McGlone responded with five straight points to push it to 13 and force another Castleberry talk.

“It’s hard when you sit out multiple games (and) then we’re just throwing you into a Division I game,” Sellers said. “Once he gets a little rhythm, he can really shoot the basketball for us and he almost had a steal at halfcourt.”

What's next?

The Blue Devils have a bye on Saturday before returning to action next Thursday against Mercyhurst at Detrick Gymnasium. With a win, Central would match its seven-game winning streak in 2011 as the longest streak for the program in the past 15 seasons.