Cent. Connecticut St. 76, St. Francis, NY 61

2/9/2008 3:17 PM

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) - Marcus Palmer recorded his third consecutive double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds as Central Connecticut defeated St. Francis, N.Y., 76-61 on Saturday.

Five Blue Devils were in double figures in points. They included Tristan Blackwood, who led Central (12-12, 8-5) with 17 points and five assists.

The Terriers (5-19, 2-11) were led by Jamaal Womack's 15 points.

Central Connecticut began to pull away right at the start of the half as he scored his team's first six, later finishing with 12 points.

A run midway through the period finished the job. Central led 44-36 with 14:09 to go when Blackwood scored to boost the lead to 10, starting a 10-2 spurt that pushed the lead to 54-38 at the 11:42 mark.

Central made 17 of its first 21 shots of the half in a stretch that covered 13 minutes.

Central opened the game on a 9-2 run behind two baskets from Ken Horton and a three by Blackwood. The Terriers, however, responded with a 10-4 run midway through the half to tie the game at 23.

The game was back-and-forth for the rest of the half.

Central took the lead at the halftime buzzer on a Blackwood fall away three-pointer, giving the Blue Devils a 32-29 lead at the break. The Blue Devils were hurt by 11 turnovers in the first half despite shooting 50 percent from the floor.

They also struggled to contain Womack, who was 3-for-5 from 3-point range in the half. The Blue Devils, who have now won three straight games, finished the game shooting 57 percent from the floor.