Blue Devils Win Third Straight, Top Wagner 77-61

The Central Connecticut women's basketball team defeated Wagner 77-61 on Saturday afternoon in Detrick Gymnasium. The Blue Devils improve to 6-1 in the Northeast Conference with the win and 10-8 overall on the season. Wagner falls to 2-5 in the NEC and 4-14 overall. CCSU was led by freshman Camden Musgrave who finished the game with a career-high 22 points.

HIGHLIGHTS

The 6-1 mark in the NEC matches the best start to league play in program history. The Blue Devils also started 6-1 in the league to begin the 2008-09 season. That year, the Blue Devils finished second in the NEC regular season standings and earned a spot in the Women's Postseason NIT.

The Blue Devils used an 18-5 run over the final seven minutes of the first half and entered the break with a 19 point lead, 42-23. The 19 point lead marks the largest lead CCSU has had all season entering the intermission and the 42 points are the most the Blue Devils have scored before the break this season.

The run was capped off by a buzzer-beating layup from freshman Caitland Considine to conclude the first stanza.

Musgrave led all scorers at halftime with 12 points on four-of-six shooting, including three-of-five shooting from beyond the arc. Central shot 48.1% (13-27) from the floor, 54.5% (6-11) from three and 71.4% (10-14) from the line in the half.

In the second half, both teams traded baskets back-and-forth in the first ten minutes of play with Wagner getting no closer than 15 points and CCSU extending its lead by as much as 20.

With 9:50 left to play in the game Musgrave hit her fifth three-pointer of the game to give the Blue Devils a 20 point lead, 59-39. The triple also gave her 18 points in the game to tie her career-high that she set exactly one week prior against Bryant.

However, Musgrave was not finished and two possessions later she was fouled and knocked down both free throw attempts to set a new career-high mark and become the second Blue Devil this season to record a 20-point game. Junior Kayla Miller previously recorded a 20-point game back on Nov. 30 in a non-conference game with New Hampshire.

Wagner threatened late with a 7-0 run from the 3:39 mark to 1:57 left to play in the game to cut the Blue Devil lead to 11, 69-58, but the Seahawks would get no closer as Central hit on eight-of-eight free throw attempts in the final minute of play to secure the victory.

Musgrave finished the game with a career-high 22 points on six-of-nine shooting from the floor. She was five-of-seven from three and connected on all of her free throw attempts, going a perfect five-of-five from the charity stripe. The 22 points from the rookie marks a new game-high total from any Blue Devil on the season. Musgrave also added three steals.

Junior TeJahne Malone recorded her third double-double of the season in the victory finishing the contest with 16 points and a season-high 11 rebounds with eight of those rebounds coming on the offensive end. The 16 points marks the fourth-consecutive game Malone has scored in double-digits.

Redshirt-freshman Lauren Wolosik joined Musgrave and Malone in double-figures with 10 points for the Blue Devils. Wolosik also added six rebounds and four assists.

CCSU shot 41.8% in the game on 23-of-55 shooting. The Blue Devils were nine-of-20 (45%) from three and 22-of-26 (84.6%) from the free throw line, including a perfect 12-of-12 from the line in the second half.

The Blue Devils limited Wagner to 33.8% (22-65) shooting from the floor and 29.2% (7-24) from beyond the arc. The Seahawks shot 66.7% from the free throw line making 10-of-15 attempts.

The women's basketball team will return to action on Monday night on the road at St. Francis Brooklyn. The Blue Devils and Terriers are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. in the Pope Physical Education Center in Brooklyn Heights, NY. Fans can watch the game live, for free, on NECFrontRow.com.