The Blue Devils were coming into this game off of a big win at home against Albany and were outmatched by the Northwestern Wildcats 74-54.
The Blue Devils were led by starting forward Robby Ptacek who scored 22 points for CCSU. Ptacek had 1 of his best performances of the season, but he didn't receive much help from the rest of the Blue Devils.
The only other player in double figures in scoring was Vince Rosario who added 11 for the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils only lead of the game was after their first basket when they were up 2-0. They played the rest of the game from behind and were unable to catch up to the Wildcats.
Leading the Wildcats was John Shurna who scored 29 points and brought down six rebounds. Also in double figures in scoring for Northwestern were Drew Crawford with 15 and Michael Thompson with 14.
With only 1 game left in 2009 the Blue Devils are coming home for their second home game of the season. On Wednesday, December 30th the Blue Devils will play host to UMBC as CCSU will try to end 2009 on a win heading into 2010.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
8 Games In & CCSU is 3-5 Part 2
Following CCSU's first four games of the season they had three straight road games before they finally came to New Britain for their home opener of the season.
To continue their seven game road trip they started off December with two road games in New York against fellow Northeast Conference teams at St. Francis (NY) and Long Island University.
At SFNY the Blue Devils were able to come away with the win 63-50 and started off their in-conference season in a good way. The Blue Devils were led by David Simmons who posted a double double with 11 points and 14 rebounds against the Terriers of St. Francis (NY). Also, co-captains Shemik Thompson (17) and Joe Seymore (10) had great games for the Blue Devils as both scored in double digits.
Freshman Joe Efese had a good game coming off of the bench as he added 12 points. A sour point for the Blue Devils this game was starting forward Robby Ptacek who shot 1-13 from the field and only had five points.
Following the win at SFNY the Blue Devils headed to LIU to look for their second consecutive NEC win. However, Jaytornah Wisseh and the Blackbirds of LIU spoiled the Blue Devils chances at going 2-0 in conference on the season. Wisseh added 20 points and eight assists for the Blackbirds in 69-65 defeat of the Blue Devils.
Leading the Blue Devils were David Simmons and Joe Seymore who both added 15 points each. In his second straight poor shooting performance of the season Ptacek added eight points on 3-15 shooting from the field.
Following the two games in conference CCSU headed to the University of New Hampshire to take on the Wildcats. UNH defeated CCSU 67-55 to hand the Blue Devils their second straight loss.
Shemik Thompson led the Blue Devils with 20 points and Joe Seymore added 10 points with no else scoring in double digits in this game.
Alvin Abreu of UNH added 25 points for the Wildcats while Tyrone Conley (16) and Radar Onguetou (12) both added double figures also with six rebounds a piece.
The game at UNH ended the Blue Devils seven game road trip as they now began to get ready for their first home game of the season as the Albany Great Danes paid a visit to Detrick Gymnasium.
The Blue Devils came into the game 2-5 and were looking to bring a win to the home crowd and that is what they did. In a game that went back and forth the entire game the Blue Devils were able to earn the win in overtime 70-68.
David Simmons had a career game with 11 points and 16 rebounds while Vince Rosario added 17 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 5-10 shooting behind the 3-point arc.
The usual suspects Shemik Thompson and Robby Ptacek both didn't have great shooting days but combined shot 12-12 from the free point line and both finished in double digits scoring with Thompson scoring 16 and Ptacek adding 12.
The win at home against Albany has brought CCSU's season to a 3-5 start and a 1-1 start in the NEC. The Blue Devils have 21 more regular season games this year and 16 of them are in the NEC. The Blue Devils will be looking to make a run at the NEC crown and hopefully earn a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament come March.
Up next for the Blue Devils is a trip to Northwestern followed by a home game against UMBC to end 2009.
To continue their seven game road trip they started off December with two road games in New York against fellow Northeast Conference teams at St. Francis (NY) and Long Island University.
At SFNY the Blue Devils were able to come away with the win 63-50 and started off their in-conference season in a good way. The Blue Devils were led by David Simmons who posted a double double with 11 points and 14 rebounds against the Terriers of St. Francis (NY). Also, co-captains Shemik Thompson (17) and Joe Seymore (10) had great games for the Blue Devils as both scored in double digits.
Freshman Joe Efese had a good game coming off of the bench as he added 12 points. A sour point for the Blue Devils this game was starting forward Robby Ptacek who shot 1-13 from the field and only had five points.
Following the win at SFNY the Blue Devils headed to LIU to look for their second consecutive NEC win. However, Jaytornah Wisseh and the Blackbirds of LIU spoiled the Blue Devils chances at going 2-0 in conference on the season. Wisseh added 20 points and eight assists for the Blackbirds in 69-65 defeat of the Blue Devils.
Leading the Blue Devils were David Simmons and Joe Seymore who both added 15 points each. In his second straight poor shooting performance of the season Ptacek added eight points on 3-15 shooting from the field.
Following the two games in conference CCSU headed to the University of New Hampshire to take on the Wildcats. UNH defeated CCSU 67-55 to hand the Blue Devils their second straight loss.
Shemik Thompson led the Blue Devils with 20 points and Joe Seymore added 10 points with no else scoring in double digits in this game.
Alvin Abreu of UNH added 25 points for the Wildcats while Tyrone Conley (16) and Radar Onguetou (12) both added double figures also with six rebounds a piece.
The game at UNH ended the Blue Devils seven game road trip as they now began to get ready for their first home game of the season as the Albany Great Danes paid a visit to Detrick Gymnasium.
The Blue Devils came into the game 2-5 and were looking to bring a win to the home crowd and that is what they did. In a game that went back and forth the entire game the Blue Devils were able to earn the win in overtime 70-68.
David Simmons had a career game with 11 points and 16 rebounds while Vince Rosario added 17 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 5-10 shooting behind the 3-point arc.
The usual suspects Shemik Thompson and Robby Ptacek both didn't have great shooting days but combined shot 12-12 from the free point line and both finished in double digits scoring with Thompson scoring 16 and Ptacek adding 12.
The win at home against Albany has brought CCSU's season to a 3-5 start and a 1-1 start in the NEC. The Blue Devils have 21 more regular season games this year and 16 of them are in the NEC. The Blue Devils will be looking to make a run at the NEC crown and hopefully earn a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament come March.
Up next for the Blue Devils is a trip to Northwestern followed by a home game against UMBC to end 2009.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
8 Games In & CCSU is 3-5 Part 1
The Blue Devils came into this year with a lot to look forward to. They were only losing one starter from the season before and were returning star players Ken Horton and Shemik Thompson. Then they found out that the star center Horton would miss the entire season with a hip injury.
When it came to start the season the team looked at the schedule and realized that they were on the road for their first seven games of the season and didn't have a home game until last Saturday when the Great Danes of Albany came and visited.
There seven game road trip consisted of playing in the Connecticut 6 Classic that featured six teams from Connecticut each playing one game in one day against another team in Connecticut at the Harbor Yard Arena in Bridgeport, CT. The six teams that took part in the Classic were: CCSU, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, Yale, Fairfield and Hartford.
CCSU drew Fairfield who plays their home games at Harbor Yard so it turned out to be more of a home game for Fairfield. In the first game of the season CCSU lost a 67-58 decision to the Stags of Fairfield. One game in and they were already missing Horton as they were out rebounded by 14 rebounds during the game.
Following the CT 6 they traveled to Savannah State in the first of their three games against the school this year. CCSU lost the initial matchup 53-45 as they shot only 36% from the field for the game. Shemik Thompson led the team with 12 points that game and Robby Ptacek added 11 with six rebounds.
With an 0-2 record the Blue Devils were scheduled to participate in the CollegeInsider.com Skip Prosser Tournament at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. In the tournament they met Savannah State for their second game of the season this time on a neutral court. This time the Blue Devils came away with their first win of the season as they won 51-44. Robby Ptacek (16) and Shemik Thompson (15) combined for 31 of the Blue Devil's 51 points in this game as the Blue Devils showed this time around that they were the better team.
In the second game of the Tournament they were scheduled against the home team The Citadel. The Blue Devils were looking to add their second straight game but The Citadel proved to be too much for CCSU that game. However, starting guard Shemik Thompson was out this game with an injury. The highlight of the Blue Devils was sophomore Robby Ptacek, who scored a career high 24 points during the game. Even with Ptacek's career game the absence of THompson was too much for the Blue Devils.
Four games into the season without a home game and the Blue Devils were looking at a 1-3 start for the 09-10 season. Later on part 2 will feature a review of the next four games that have happened so far this season.
When it came to start the season the team looked at the schedule and realized that they were on the road for their first seven games of the season and didn't have a home game until last Saturday when the Great Danes of Albany came and visited.
There seven game road trip consisted of playing in the Connecticut 6 Classic that featured six teams from Connecticut each playing one game in one day against another team in Connecticut at the Harbor Yard Arena in Bridgeport, CT. The six teams that took part in the Classic were: CCSU, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, Yale, Fairfield and Hartford.
CCSU drew Fairfield who plays their home games at Harbor Yard so it turned out to be more of a home game for Fairfield. In the first game of the season CCSU lost a 67-58 decision to the Stags of Fairfield. One game in and they were already missing Horton as they were out rebounded by 14 rebounds during the game.
Following the CT 6 they traveled to Savannah State in the first of their three games against the school this year. CCSU lost the initial matchup 53-45 as they shot only 36% from the field for the game. Shemik Thompson led the team with 12 points that game and Robby Ptacek added 11 with six rebounds.
With an 0-2 record the Blue Devils were scheduled to participate in the CollegeInsider.com Skip Prosser Tournament at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. In the tournament they met Savannah State for their second game of the season this time on a neutral court. This time the Blue Devils came away with their first win of the season as they won 51-44. Robby Ptacek (16) and Shemik Thompson (15) combined for 31 of the Blue Devil's 51 points in this game as the Blue Devils showed this time around that they were the better team.
In the second game of the Tournament they were scheduled against the home team The Citadel. The Blue Devils were looking to add their second straight game but The Citadel proved to be too much for CCSU that game. However, starting guard Shemik Thompson was out this game with an injury. The highlight of the Blue Devils was sophomore Robby Ptacek, who scored a career high 24 points during the game. Even with Ptacek's career game the absence of THompson was too much for the Blue Devils.
Four games into the season without a home game and the Blue Devils were looking at a 1-3 start for the 09-10 season. Later on part 2 will feature a review of the next four games that have happened so far this season.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
CCSU Win OT Thriller With Big Game By Rosario
The Blue Devils came up big today in overtime to defeat the Great Danes of Albany 70-68. The play that really broke the game for Albany was with 21 seconds left in the second half. The Great Danes were up by two points when Derrek Tartt missed a dunk off of the back rim and the Blue Devils rebounded and eventually scored two points on free throws at the other end to send it to overtime.
In overtime the Blue Devils ended up getting the victory by two with a huge performance by transfer sophomore Vince Rosario who led the team with 17 points. Rosario made 5 key three pointers for the Blue Devils including hitting a 3 with 41 seconds left in overtime that gave the Blue Devils a 4 point lead (67-63).
The clutch play and leadership of Shemik Thompson really helped push the team as he scored 16 points for the Blue Devils and made all four of his free throws towards the end of the game.
David Simmons came into the game averaging seven rebounds and in today's game brought down 16 rebounds. He also added 11 points as well which most of came off of his five offensive rebounds.
Also, scoring double figures for the Blue Devils was Robby Ptacek. He scored 12 points in today's game after coming off of the bench for the first time this season.
The Great Danes had four players in double figures for scoring including Tim Ambrose (16), Mike Johnson (12), Brett Gifford and Fran Urli (both 10 a piece).
In a game that went back and forth the whole entire game this was a huge win for the Blue Devils as they made their home debut.
Freshman Devan Bailey and Senior Co-Captain Joe Seymore both added key minutes towards the end of the game and during overtime.
Up next for the Blue Devils is a trip to Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, December 22, against Northwestern University. The Blue Devils will be looking to bring in a big win against a Big 10 opponent which would be a nice Christmas present for everyone.
In overtime the Blue Devils ended up getting the victory by two with a huge performance by transfer sophomore Vince Rosario who led the team with 17 points. Rosario made 5 key three pointers for the Blue Devils including hitting a 3 with 41 seconds left in overtime that gave the Blue Devils a 4 point lead (67-63).
The clutch play and leadership of Shemik Thompson really helped push the team as he scored 16 points for the Blue Devils and made all four of his free throws towards the end of the game.
David Simmons came into the game averaging seven rebounds and in today's game brought down 16 rebounds. He also added 11 points as well which most of came off of his five offensive rebounds.
Also, scoring double figures for the Blue Devils was Robby Ptacek. He scored 12 points in today's game after coming off of the bench for the first time this season.
The Great Danes had four players in double figures for scoring including Tim Ambrose (16), Mike Johnson (12), Brett Gifford and Fran Urli (both 10 a piece).
In a game that went back and forth the whole entire game this was a huge win for the Blue Devils as they made their home debut.
Freshman Devan Bailey and Senior Co-Captain Joe Seymore both added key minutes towards the end of the game and during overtime.
Up next for the Blue Devils is a trip to Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, December 22, against Northwestern University. The Blue Devils will be looking to bring in a big win against a Big 10 opponent which would be a nice Christmas present for everyone.
1st Home Game vs. Albany
Today is CCSU's first home game of the season as they take on the Albany Great Danes @ 2:00. This game is an out of conference game for the Blue Devils as they look to improve on their 2-5 record on the season. The Great Danes come into this game with a 4-6 record so far this year.
The probable starters for the Blue Devils today will be Shemik Thompson and Joe Seymore at the guard positions, forwards Robby Ptacek and David Simmons and Joe Efese at center.
The probable starters for the Great Danes will be guards Tim Ambrose and Mike Johnson, Will Harris and Jake Lindfors at forward and Brett Gifford at center.
The two players to watch for the Blue Devils today are Shemik Thompson and Robby Ptacek. Thompson is leading the team in scoring this year with 13.7 points a game while adding 3.2 rebounds a game. Ptacek is second on the team in scoring and rebounding this year with 12.6 points a game and adding 5.1 boards a game.
Leading the Great Danes will be forward Will Harris who is averaging 16.4 points a game and 4.6 rebounds a game. Also look out for guard Tim Ambrose who is second on the team in scoring with 15.8 points a game and 3.6 assists a game.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
2009-2010 Preview
Hi, I’m Jim Zacharias, a senior at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), and have been following their men’s basketball team since I came here as a freshman. This year’s team only has one player remaining from the 06-07 season when I was a freshman here. That player is Joe Seymore who played a large role for the 06-07 team that eventually went on to win the NEC Championship and eventually lost to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament that year.
This year’s team was looking at having a very strong year until their leading scorer from last year Ken Horton was sidelined and will out be out the whole season with a hip injury. Horton was a Second Team All-Northeast Conference (NEC) player last year when he averaged 16.5 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. He was named to the preseason All-Conference Team this year.
The Blue Devils are predicted to finish fifth in the NEC this year behind Mount St. Mary’s, Long Island, Robert Morris and Quinnipiac.
CCSU has had some success over the last two years but not as much as the 2006-2007 team that won the NEC Championship and made the NCAA tournament. During the 07-08 season they finished sixth in the conference and lost to Sacred Heart in the first round of the NEC tournament. During the 08-09 season they finished tied for sixth in the conference and lost to Sacred Heart again in the first round of the NEC tournament.
The team is not returning players Marcus Palmer, Aaron Hall, Tamir Johnson and Kyle Desmarais. Palmer graduated last year and Hall, Johnson and Desmarais have all transferred to division 2 basketball schools.
Returning from last year’s team are three starters including guards Shemik Thompson and Robby Ptacek and forward David Simmons. Also returning from last year’s team are forwards Ross Pentland and Chris Baskerville.
Some new players that the Blue Devils have brought in include sophomore transfer Vince Rosario from Stonehill College and junior college transfer Markeys Deans. This year’s freshman class includes two guards, Jonathan Tull and Devan Bailey, and forward Joe Efese.
The Blue Devils will be looking to rebound from the last two seasons and look to make another run at the NEC championship. With star Horton out the whole year the team will need starting guards Ptacek and Thompson to really lead this team and for their role players to really step it up this year and help the team win.
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