Women's Hoop Hosts UMass Lowell For Home Opener Tuesday Night

The Central Connecticut women's basketball team (0-1) welcomes America East member UMass Lowell (0-1) to Detrick Gym for the Blue Devils 2015-16 Home Opener on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils will look to rebound after dropping their season opener last Friday at Vermont, 79-63. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at CCSUTickets.com or at the box office upon entry. Admission for all CCSU students, faculty and staff is free of charge with a valid Blue Chip card. For fans who cannot attend, all the action can be seen live, for free, on NECFrontRow.com.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS | CCSU GAME NOTES

Tonight • The Central Connecticut women's basketball team plays host to America East member UMass Lowell for its 2015-16 Home Opener in Detrick Gym. The Blue Devils (0-1) and River Hawks
(0-1) both dropped their season openers last week. CCSU fell 79-63 at Vermont on Friday and UML lost 102-53 at #6 Maryland on Saturday. Tonight's tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

Series History • Tonight's game marks the ninth meeting all-time between these two programs and the second meeting at the Division I level. The Blue Devils hold a commanding 7-1 advantage in the all-time series and are 1-0, winning 81-58 at UML last season, in the only meeting between the two programs at the DI level.

Last Season's Meeting • The Blue Devils traveled to UMass Lowell last season and walked away with an 81-58 victory against the River Hawks. Central saw five players score in double-figures in the game, led by TeJahne Malone who had 16. She was joined by Nicole Ferguson (13), Kaley Watras (11),  Chayla Lewis (10) and Kayla Miller (10). Miller also recorded a double-double in the game with 12 boards to go with her 10 points. Central shot 49.3% (35-71) from the floor in the win and outrebounded UML 49-31.

Home Openers • The Blue Devils are 5-3 over the past eight seasons in home openers under the direction of Beryl Piper. They dropped a 75-63 decision last season to Hartford, but prior to that they had won four-straight home openers in Detrick Gymnasium dating back to the 2010-11 season.

Last Time Out • CCSU fell in its season opener last Friday in Vermont, 79-63. The Blue Devils shot just 28.0% (21-75) from the floor, including 25.0% (6-24) from distance in the loss. Senior Kayla Miller led Central with 14 points and was the only Blue Devil to reach double-figures. She also had a team-high nine rebounds. Central was out-rebounded 50-45 in the setback.

2015-16 Roster • The Blue Devils' roster will feature 10 returning players for the 2015-16 season. All 10 saw game action during the 2014-15 campaign. The squad will also feature four new faces as head coach Beryl Piper and the Blue Devils welcome four freshmen.  The 14 player roster will feature three seniors, three juniors, four sophomores, and four true freshmen.

Piper Tops The List • Beryl Piper begins her ninth season as the head coach of the CCSU women's basketball program as the winningest Division I coach in the history of the program.  Piper's 112 wins are tops during CCSU's Division I era, as is her .465 career winning percentage.

Double-Digit Victories • With 19 wins last season CCSU has posted double-digit wins in seven straight seasons for the first time in program history. The 2012-13 team's 16 wins gave the Blue Devils five straight double-digit win seasons for the first time in the Division I era.  The program also had a five-year run at the Division II level between 1975 and 1980.

2015-16 NEC Preseason Poll •
1. Robert Morris (7)
2. Bryant (2)
3. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (1)
4. Fairleigh Dickinson
5. Sacred Heart
6. Wagner
7. Mount St. Mary's
8.Saint Francis U
9. St. Francis Brooklyn
10. LIU Brooklyn

2015-16 NEC Preseason Poll Cont. • Central Connecticut received one first place vote and was picked to finish third in the NEC by a vote of the conference's head coaches. The third place prediction matches the highest ranking for Blue Devils ever in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as CCSU was also slotted third in the 2009-10 poll. The first place nod, however, is the first for Central since joining the league.

Captain Malone • Prior to the Blue Devils first game, head coach Beryl Piper announced that senior TeJahne Malone will represent the Blue Devils as captain this season.

'15 Seniors Moving On • The Blue Devils graduated a pair of seniors from last year's squad: Amanda Harrington and Kaley Watras. Both student-athletes were staples in the lineup for the Blue Devils and ranked second and fifth in minutes played per game last season.

Wolosik Departs • Along with Harrington and Watras, the Blue Devils lost redshirt freshman guard Lauren Wolosik. Wolosik transfered to IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania). She ranked third in minutes played per game, third in assists and averaged 5.3 ppg.