Preview: Central Connecticut at Wagner, Men’s Basketball

NEW YORK (Interstat) — Two Northeast Conference men’s basketball teams looking to halt slides will meet Thursday when the Central Connecticut Blue Devils visit the Wagner Seahawks at Spiro Sports Center.

Central Connecticut (10-9) enters on a three-game losing streak, including a narrow 61-59 defeat at Stonehill on Monday. The Blue Devils have shown resilience this season, however, with a 5-4 record in true road games. Wagner (6-12) has lost six of its last seven contests, with five of those losses coming by single digits, most recently a 69-67 setback at Le Moyne.

A key matchup will feature two players capable of carrying their offenses. For Central Connecticut, guard Daniel Etiosa James is coming off a team-high 33 minutes in the loss to Stonehill, where he contributed eight points, two assists and a block. His production has fluctuated, but he scored 17 points combined in wins over Stonehill and Saint Francis (PA) earlier this month.

Wagner will rely heavily on guard Nick Jones, who has been a consistent scorer during the team’s difficult stretch. Jones has tallied 20 or more points in three of his last five games, including a 20-point, six-rebound effort in a loss at Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 19. He averages 17.4 points per game over that five-game span.

The Blue Devils have struggled defensively during their skid, allowing an average of 72.0 points per game in the three losses. Wagner’s offense, paced by Jones, will look to exploit that. Conversely, the Seahawks have had difficulty closing out tight games, a trend they aim to reverse at home.

This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams this season. They will meet again in New Britain, Connecticut, on Feb. 7.

Following this contest, Central Connecticut hosts Long Island on Saturday. Wagner remains at home to face Fairleigh Dickinson that same day.