Women's Basketball Travels to SFBK for Regular Season Finale Monday Night

The Central Connecticut women's basketball team (11-17, 8-9 NEC) ventures to Brooklyn, NY for its regular season finale against St. Francis Brooklyn (7-21, 4-13 NEC) on Monday night looking for a win to lock up the #5 seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournnament. Tip-off between the Blue Devils and Terriers is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Pope Physical Education center and all of the action can be seen live, for free, on NECFrontRow.com

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Playoff Picture • With a win against the Terriers on Monday night the Blue Devils will secure the #5 seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament where they will travel to take on either SFU or RMU. A loss can result in Central ranging anywhere from the #5 to #7 seed. With a loss, FDU loss and MSM loss the Blue Devils will remain the #5 seed. With a loss, FDU win and MSM loss CCSU will be the #6 seed. CCSU will also be the #6 seed with a loss, FDU loss and MSM win. With a loss, FDU win and MSM win Central will end up being the #7 seed. The tounament begins on Sunday, Mar. 6.

NEC Tournament Bound • For the second straight season and sixth time under head coach Beryl Piper, the Blue Devils have solidified a berth into the Northeast Conference Tournament. The St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers fell to the Saint Francis U Red Flash, 85-68, last Monday night to lock up a spot for the Blue Devils in the upcoming NEC Tournament. Central will play on the road in the quarterfinal round on Mar. 6 against an opponent yet to be determined pending the completion of the regular season.

Last Time Out • The Blue Devils defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 71-59, on Senior Day inside Detrick Gym  on Saturday to snap a two-game home losing streak. Sophomore Emma Stroyan matched her career-high with 12 points to lead seven Blue Devils who scored at least seven points in the win. Senior Kayla Miller added 11 and junior Aleah Epps chipped in with 10 to join Stroyan in double-figures, while freshman Kiana Patterson dished out a career-high six assists.
Series History (26-9) • Tonight's matchup marks the 36th meeting all-time between these two programs at the Division I level. The Blue Devils hold a commanding 26-9 advantage in the series, including a 65-61 overtime victory earlier this season in New Britain.

Piper vs. the Terriers • Head Coach Beryl Piper is 12-3 against St. Francis Brooklyn all-time in her ninth season at the helm of the Blue Devils. She has been very successful at home against the Terriers registering an 8-1 mark against SFBK inside Detrick Gym and is 4-2 on the road.

Earlier This Season • CCSU rallied for a 65-61 win in overtime against St. Francis Brooklyn in New Britain. Freshman Andi Lydon led the Blue Devils with 17 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Senior Kayla Miller and sophomore Camden Musgrave reached double-digits along with Lydon with 16 and 13, respectively. Central chipped away at a 10-point halftime deficit (26-16) to take the lead in the third quarter. CCSU would push the lead to as much as 44-37 with 8:45 to play in the fourth quarter after a three-pointer by junior Aleah Epps, before St. Francis would rally. The Terriers would score five unanswered before eventually tying the game at 50-50 on a three-pointer by Maria Palarino at the 2:32 mark. Central took a 52-50 lead with 25 seconds left on a layup by Epps. The Terriers responded though with a bucket from Olivia Levey with :04 to play to force overtime. Central raced out to a quick lead in overtime, scoring the first seven points. Following two layups by Miller the Blue Devils took a 59-52 lead. St. Francis got within 63-61 with five seconds left, but Lydon hit two foul shots down the stretch to seal the win for Central.

Scouting the Terriers • SFBK is 7-21 overall, 4-13 in the NEC and sport a 2-9 record at home so far this season. They average 58.2 ppg as a team and are led by Leah Fechko who averages 15.2 ppg.Fecko is the only SFBK player who averages in double-figures and she is also the Terriers leading rebounder at 8.6 rpg. Central will also have to try and contain Olivia Levey who is SFBK's dominant post presence. She averages 7.9 ppg and 4.4 rpg.

Up Next For CCSU • The Blue Devils will return to action next with the quarterfinal round of the NEC Tournament. Seedings will be determined after the completion of the regular season tonight.

Freshman Sharpshooter • Freshman Kiana Patterson drilled 5-of-5 three point attempts in a win over LIU Brooklyn en route to a career-high 16-point game. It marks the first time a Blue Devil has hit 5+ three's in a game since Camden Musgrave buried five at home vs. Wagner last season on Jan. 24, 2015. Patterson is currently CCSU's most accurate three point shooter this season at 38.0% (46-121) overall and 39.7% (31-78) in NEC games.