Men's Basketball Falls At Central Connecticut State, 61-48

(boxscore)

1/15/07 -- Junior Eugene Kotorobai (Richmond Hill, Ontario) led the Long Island University men's basketball in scoring for the second consecutive contest but the Blackbirds could not overcome a 42-28 rebounding deficit as they fell, 61-48, at Detrick Gym on Monday afternoon.

Kotorobai finished with 14 points and reached double figures for the third time in four games. Freshman Aurimas Adomaitis (Kaunus, Lithuania) continued his strong play inside and was the only other LIU player to reach double-digit points with 11.

After two free throws by senior James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) cut the Blue Devils advantage to 14-12 with 10:47 remaining in the first half, CCSU countered with seven straight points to take command.

The Blue Devils pushed ahead by a score of 28-18 before freshman Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a three pointer trim the lead to seven. LIU had a chance to get closer, but senior Aubin Scott (Hempstead, N.Y.) misfired on a three to end the half down 28-21.

CCSU opened the second half on a 15-2 run to pull away. Obie Nwadike had six points during the run and Jemino Sobers capped it with a dunk and layup to put the Blue Devils ahead 43-23 with 12:05 to play.

Long Island mounted a comeback, trimming the deficit to 50-39 at the 5:13 mark. Kotorobai led the charge scoring 11 of his points during the brief run, including a three-pointer to bring the Blackbirds as close as they would get in the second half. Wisseh had a chance to trim the deficit further on a steal and fast break, but CCSU forced a turnover and never let LIU get closer the rest of the way.

Nwadike led CCSU with 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Sobers chipped in with 10 points and seven blocks. Javier Mojica scored 12 points, including his 1,000th career point in the first half. He added nine boards and five assists.

The Blackbirds return to action on Saturday, Jan. 20, as part of a basketball double-header. The women will face Fairleigh Dickinson at 2:00 p.m., while the men’s game will follow at 4:00 p.m. in the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.