Smith Jr., Frazier power Central Connecticut past Rutgers 67-54

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Darin Smith Jr. scored 21 points, Max Frazier powered his way to a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Central Connecticut controlled the second half to hand Rutgers its first loss of the season, 67–54, on Friday night.

The Blue Devils (3–2) turned a 32–28 halftime lead into a wire-to-wire statement behind toughness on the glass and timely shot-making. Frazier set the tone immediately after the break with a dunk, and James Jones followed with a right-wing 3-pointer to push the margin to nine. A Melo Sanchez corner 3 stretched it to 42–31 after a 10-3 burst to open the second half.

Rutgers (4–1) clawed back on a Denis Badalau 3 and a pair of free throws, trimming it to 45–41 with 13:19 left. Sanchez drilled another 3, Smith buried a deep jumper and Jay Rodgers added a long-range make and midrange bucket to rebuild a 10-point cushion.

Central Connecticut’s defense carried the game home, holding Rutgers to 36% shooting and just five 3s while forcing 10 second-half misses at the rim. Smith closed the door with a layup at 1:57, and Frazier’s dunk at 1:01 sealed the most complete performance of the year for the Blue Devils.