Women's Hoop Heads to St. Francis NY for 3 PM Tip
Blue Devils are 6-1 in league play this season.
The women's basketball team (10-8, 6-1 NEC) travels to Brooklyn Heights, NY for a Northeast Conference game at St. Francis Brooklyn (5-14, 2-5) on Monday afternoon. The game was originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip, but now has been moved up to a 3 p.m. start time due to the impending winter storm. Central has won three in a row and sits in a tie for first place with Bryant University, each with a 6-1 Northeast Conference record.
Today's Game • The first place Blue Devils (10-8, 6-1 NEC) travel to Brooklyn Heights for a NEC matchup with the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (5-14, 2-5 NEC) in the Pope Physical Education Center on the campus of SFBK. The game was originally scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m., however due to the impending storm expected to hit the northeast, the tip was moved to 3 p.m. This is the eighth Northeast Conference contest for both the Blue Devils and Terriers as both teams conclude week 4 of conference play.
Series History • The Blue Devils hold a comanding lead in the all-time Division I series history, 23-8. However, Central dropped its most recent meeting with the Terriers 71-50 last season at the Pope. CCSU is 9-2 against St. Francis while under the direction of head coach Beryl Piper, including a 3-2 record against the Terriers on the road.
Last Year's Meetings • The Blue Devils and Terriers split a pair of meetings with each other last season with both teams picking up wins on their respective home courts. CCSU defeated SFBK in a thrilling overtime game 71-66 on Jan. 25 in Detrick Gym, before the Terriers got revenge exactly one week later in Brooklyn with a 71-50 victory of their own on Feb. 1.
Scouting St. Francis • St. Francis enters today's matchup with a 5-14 overall record and 2-5 mark in NEC play. They are coming off a tough 69-64 loss to Robert Morris at home on Saturday, Jan. 24. St. Francis was led by senior forward Sarah Benedetti who finished the game with a team-high 20 points. Benedetti shot six-of-16 from the floor, including four-of-nine from beyond the arc and four-of-four from the line. She also added six assists, five rebounds and a block in the loss. Junior guard Laura Fechko contributed 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds and seven assists. Senior guard Eilidh Simpson leads the team on the season averaging 14.2 points per contest. The Terriers have four players who average double-figures on the season; Simpson (14.2), Benedetti (12.2), senior forward Jaymee Veney (12.2) and Fechko (10.7).
Last Time Out • Central defeated Wagner by 16 points, 77-61 to improve its NEC record to 6-1 and remain tied for first place with the Bryant Bulldogs. The game broke open after the Blue Devils used an 18-5 run to close the first half and entered the break with a 19 point lead. CCSU was led by freshman guard Camden Musgrave who logged a career-high 22 points in the game. Central shot very well in the contest connecting on 23-of-55 (41.8%) attempts from the floor and nine-of-20 (45.0%) from distance. Junior TeJahne Malone also recorded her third double-double of the season in the victory netting 16 points and pulling down 11 boards.
6-1 in NEC • 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.
Musgrave's Career Day • Freshman Camden Musgrave recorded a career-high 22 ponts in Saturday's 77-61 route of Wagner. Musgrave connected on six-of-nine attempts from the floor, including five-of-seven from three and all five-of-five attempts from the line. She also added four rebounds and three steals. The 22 points from Musgrave is the most any Blue Devil has scored so far this season and she becomes just the second Blue Devil this season to have a 20-point game. Kayla Miller logged a 20-point performance against Rhode Island back on Dec. 6.
Malone Stays Consistent • Junior TeJahne Malone registered her third double-double of the season on Saturday with 16 points and season-high 11 rebounds. The 16 points for Malone is the fourth-consecutive game the forward has recorded a double-digit performance. Malone currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 10.5 points per contest.
Big First Half • Central scored 42 points in the first half on Saturday against Wagner. The 42 points marks the highest first-half total of the season thus far for CCSU. The Blue Devils are now also 9-2 when leading at the half.
Double-Digit Win Seasons • With the 77-61 victory over Wagner on Saturday, the Blue Devils move to 10-8 overall on the season. Central has now posted double-digit wins in a season for the last seven consecutive seasons. The streak extends the program record the Blue Devils set last season of six consecutive 10+ win seasons. The last time CCSU had such a streak dates back to the 1975 season to the 1980 season, where Central had five consecutive double-digit win seasons while playing at the Division II level.
Blue Devil D • The Blue Devils limited Wagner to just 33.8% shooting on Saturday. It was the 11th time this season Central has kept their opponents under 40% shooting from the floor. The Blue Devils are 10-1 in those games.
