CCSU Women Celebrate Senior Day Versus Wagner On Saturday

The Central Connecticut State women's basketball team (9-18, 8-6 NEC) plays its final home game of the 2024-25 regular season on Saturday afternoon, as the Blue Devils host the Wagner College Seahawks  On Thursday evening, CCSU saw its three-game winning streak snapped with a 75-64 road loss to LeMoyne..  The Seahawks (8-18, 5-9 NEC) head into Saturday's action on a two-game winning streak after home triumphs over LIU on Thursday, 66-58, and Chicago State on February 22, 58-52..  CCSU needs one win in its last two regular season games or a LeMoyne loss to clinch at least one home game in this year's Northeast Conference Championship Tournament.  Saturday will also be Senior Day for the CCSU women's basketball program, as the Blue Devils will honor Belle Lanpher, Meghan Kenefick and Amaya Williams prior to the game.

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CCSU holds a 25-23 lead in the all-time series versus Wagner.  Last season, the teams split their two games, as they each won on their homecourts with the Seahawks posting a 49-45 triumph in the Spiro Sports Center on January 27, 2024 and the Blue Devils prevailing, 69-61, in New Britain on February 22, 2024.The Central now has a two-game winning streak in the series after winning on Staten Island earlier this season, 62-55, on January 11.

A LOOK BACK AT THURSDAY NIGHT AT LEMOYNE:

•  The Central Connecticut State women's basketball team saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Thursday, as the Blue Devils fell on the road to the LeMoyne College Dolphins, 75-64.  With the game tied at 32-32 after a hoop by CCSU's Cierra Pearson with 3:08 to play in the second quarter, LeMoyne closed the opening 20 minutes of play on a 7-2 run to take a 39-34 lead at the half which they never relinquished.  Graduate student Belle Lanpher led CCSU with a game-high 24 points.  She was joined in double-digit scoring by a pair of teammates, freshman Dagny Slomack with 18 points, which tied her career-high and senior Amaya Williams chipped in 14 points.  Lanpher also added six rebounds to tie for the team lead on the boards with classmate Meghan Kenefick.  Hayden Roberts led LeMoyne with 20 points in the win.

THIS YEAR'S FIRST MEETING BETWEEN THE BLUE DEVILS AND SEAHAWKS (1/1/25):

• Trailing by 10 points, 49-39, with 2:21 to play in the third quarter, CCSU went on a 23-6 run to close out the game to post their first road win of the season, a 62-55 Northeast Conference victory over the host Wagner College Seahawks.  CCSU graduate student guard Belle Lanpher helped lead her team to the win, as she scored a career-high 37 points, 24 of which came in the second half.  She joined in double figures by Amaya Williams who finished with 14 points.  Dagny Slomack finished just shy of double digits for the winners with nine points.  Meghan Kenefick grabbed a game and season-high 14 rebounds for the winners, and she also dished of a season-best six assists.  Taleah Washington led Wagner with 17 points, and Julia Fabozzi pulled down a team-leading 11 boards for the Seahawks.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITON:

•    The Seahawks of Wagner College come into Saturday's action with an 8-18 overall record and a 5-9 Northeast Conference mark.  Wagner, winners of three of their last four games, come to New Britain on a two-game winning streak with home victories over LIU on Thursday, 66-58, and Chicago State on February 22, 58-52.. 
•    The Seahawks were slotted in sixth place in this year's preseason NEC Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll.
•    Graduate student Julia Fabozzi  leads the team in scoring so far this season averaging 15.8 points per game.  She is followed by classmate Taleah Washington at 14.1 points per outing.  Fabozzi also leads the team in rebounding averaging 6.5 boards per game.
•   As a team, the Seahawks are averaging 59.1 points and 34.5 rebounds per contest, and they are allowing the opposition 75.8 points per game plus opponents are pulling down an average of 36.6 rebounds per game.
•   Wagner is led by head coach Terrell Coburn, who is in his fourth season as the Seahawks' mentor. 

 THIS AND THAT:

•   CCSU's number two ranking in the Preseason Northeast Conference Coaches' Poll is the highest ranking in program history.  
•  With her 24 points at LeMoyne, Belle Lanpher has now scored a total of 1450 career points.  Belle has reached double figures in all 17 games she has played this season and a total of 20 straight outings dating back to last season. So far this season, Lanpher is averaging a team-best 22.9 points per game. She has surpassed the 20-point plateau in 11 games this season, including netting her career-high of 37 points in this year's first meeting between these two teams.  She also leads the team in rebounding at 5.6 boards per game from her guard spot.
•   CCSU's Top Four All-Time Women's Basketball Career Scorers: 1-Hope Linthicum (1982-87), 1,773 points, 2-Gabriella Guegbelet (2003-07), 1,700 points, 3-Belle Lanpher (2020-present), 1,450 points, 4-Kiana Patterson (2015-19), 1,410 points
 •  Graduate student Meghan Kenefick is second on the Blue Devils in scoring averaging 8.7 points per game, and she has grabbed 5.5 rebounds per outing (6.1 rpg. in NEC play).  Kenefick has now pulled down a total of 578 rebounds for her career
•   Freshman Dagny Slomack is third on this season's CCSU scoring list averaging 8.6 points per game.   Slomack tied her career-high with 18 points against the LeMoyne.  She also scored 18 points at Boston College on December 20, 2024  Dagny went 7-of-9 from the floor against the Dolphins, including hitting 3-of-4 three-point shots.  She has now reached double figures in 12 games during the 2024-25 season.
•   With her 14 points on Thursday night, senior Amaya Williams has now reached double-digit scoring in 10 contests so far this season.
•   As a team, the Blue Devils are averaging 60.5 points per game (66.7 ppg. in NEC play) and allowing the opposition to score an average of 67.0 points per outing (65.0 in conference play).  On the glass, Central is pulling down an average of 35.4 rebounds per game; while the opposition is averaging 37.6 rebounds per contest.  Central has outrebounded its opponents in nine of its last 13 games.

UP NEXT:

•   The Blue Devils close out this season's regular season slate at LIU on Thursday, March 6.  Game time in Brooklyn is set for 7:00 p.m.  Wagner will host Stonehill on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. to close out its regular season schedule.