Blue Devils Battle Bryant in Regular Season Finale - 7 PM

The Central Connecticut women's basketball team will look to claim sole possesion of the NEC regular season championship with a win over the Bryant Bulldogs on Monday night inside the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, RI. The first place Blue Devils (18-10, 14-3 NEC) and second place Bulldogs (20-8, 13-4 NEC) are schedule to tip-off the NEC regular season finale at 7 p.m.

Watch Live | Live Stats | CCSU Game Notes

Tonight's Game • The first place Blue Devils (18-10, 14-3 NEC) travel to the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, RI for the regular season finale with the second place Bryant Bulldogs (20-8, 13-4 NEC) at 7 p.m. With a CCSU victory they will be the outright NEC regular season champions, but if they suffer a setback they will share the crown with Bryant and possibly Robert Morris if the Colonials can beat Wagner.

Series History • The Blue Devils hold a slight lead over the Bulldogs in the all-time Division I series history, 7-6. All 13 meetings have come while Beryl Piper has been at the helm of the Blue Devils. Piper is 3-3 against Bryant in the Chace Athletic Center.

Earlier This Season • This is the second meeting this season between Central and Bryant. The first meeting was back on Jan. 17 in Detrick Gym and the Blue Devils dealt the Bulldogs their first conference loss, 70-59. Freshman Camden Musgrave led the Blue Devils with a game-high 18 points while senior Amanda Harrington and junior TeJahne Malone both recorded double-doubles in the win. Ivory Bailey and Tiersa Winder paced the Bulldogs with 15 points a piece. Centrl held Bryant to just 33.3% (20-60) shooting from the floor.

Last Time Out • CCSU dominated in a 77-56 victory over FDU on Saturday at Stratis Arena en route to clinching atleast a share of the NEC regular season title and the first seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament. Central had four players in double-figures, led by redshirt freshman Lauren Wolosik's 15. Junior TeJahne Malone also recorded her eighth double-double of the season in the victory with 14 points and 12 boards. The Blue Devils shot 55.0% (33-60) and out rebounded the Knights 40-27 in the win.

#1 Seed • Following the Blue Devils 21-point victory over FDU on Saturday and a Bryant loss, CCSU oficially clinched the first seed in the 2015 NEC Tournament and at least a share of the NEC regular season crown. Entering tonight's game it is possible to have a three-way tie for first place in the NEC standings, but the Blue Devils hold all of the possible tie breakers to assure them the first seed and home court advantage throughout the tournament.
Regular Season Champs • The Blue Devils have officially clinched at least a share of the NEC regular season crown. With a win tonight against the Bulldogs, they would win the title outright. Regardless, it marks the first NEC regular season championship in program history.

WNIT Berth • Topping the field in the NEC regular season also guarantees the Blue Devils a trip to the postseason, beyond the NEC Tournament. The championship qualifies Central for the Women's Postseason WNIT, which would mark the second trip to the WNIT in program history, should they not advance to the NCAA Tournament.

14 NEC Wins • CCSU continues to set a new standard for the most NEC wins in a season following the 77-56 win over FDU at 14. The previous most wins in the NEC in a season was 12 during the 2008-09 run that saw the Blue Devils make their only postseason appearance in program history with a trip to the women's postseason NIT.

Scouting Bryant • Bryant enters tonight's matchup coming off a 62-52 loss to SFBK on Saturday at home, which snapped a five-game winning streak for the Bulldogs. Bryant is the only team in the league to have five players average double-digits, led by 16.0 ppg from junior Breanna Rucker. Classmate Tiersa Winder is right behind Rucker, averaging 15.0 ppg on the season. Rucker and Winder also lead the way in scoring in NEC play with 16.8 ppg and 15.9 ppg respectively. Rucker also controls the glass for Bryant averaging 11.6 rpg on the season and 12.2 rpg in NEC play. Winder does most of her damage from beyond the arc. She has hit on a team-high 62 triples in a team-high 221 attempts, good for 28.1%.

Undefeated at Home • The Blue Devils completed their regular season home schedule on Feb. 23 with a win over the Saint Francis U Red Flash. With the win, CCSU has topped every NEC team to enter Detrick Gym on the season, going 9-0 in conference  play at home during the regular season.

NEC Tournament 2015 • CCSU was the first team in the NEC to clinch a spot in the 2015 NEC Tournament after its 60-49 victory over the Mount on Feb. 7. The vicory gaurenteed Central a spot in the tournament for the ninth time in program history and fifth time under head coach Beryl Piper in eight seasons. The Blue Devils are 4-8 all-time in NEC Tournament games. They will host the to be determined #8 seed in Detrick Gym on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m.

Watras Assists • Senior captain Kaley Watras has 293 career assists entering tonight's contest, needing just seven more to get to 300 in her career. She has logged a career-best 89 assists this season.