Outlow's Career Day Surges Women's Basketball Past Wagner, 66-53, in NEC Opener

The Central Connecticut women's basketball team began its 2016-17 Northeast Conference schedule with a, 66-53, win over Wagner Thursday night inside Detrick Gymnasium. Freshman Cebria Outlow shined with a career high double-double performance with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists. The Blue Devils turned the Seahawks over 21 times, while only giving up 11 possessions. 

CCSU starts off NEC play with a (1-0) record and improves to (2-10) on the season, as they head to St. Francis Brooklyn for a New Year's Eve day game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Wagner falls to (1-11) overall, and (0-1) in the league. 

Both teams struggled to gain any production out of the gate, playing dead even with each other through the first. Sophomore Andi Lydon connected on two three's in the opening period, leading to tied game at 9-9. 

CCSU and Wagner turned the tables in the second period, shooting 52.9%, and 42.9%, respectively, from the floor. Kiana Patterson sparked the Blue Devils offense by sinking 12 points in the first two minutes of the quarter. In the stretch the sophomore drained a three-pointer while getting fouled, and converted the four-point play, two threes, and a full court lay up in transition. Outlow reined in eight points, and recorded 10 rebounds heading into half time.

At the half, CCSU converted on 12-of-33 (36.4%) field goals and a stifling 50.0% from three-point territory, tallying six threes.

Outlow started off the second off where she left off making 2-of-2 from the free throw line, and grabbing a steal to open the third. Senior Aleah Epps poked the ball away and made a breakaway lay up at 7:57, forcing the Seahawks to call a timeout.

Patterson closes out the third quarter with a pair of free throws to extend the Blue Devil leads to seven points headed into the final 10 minutes of play. The Blue Devils began the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, ignited by an emphatical "and-one" finish from senior Giocelis Reynoso. 

With five minutes left in the game, Outlow muscled down a Seahawk defender for her 16th point of the game, increasing the CCSU lead to, 60-45. The 15-point cushion proved all that the Blue Devils needed to seal the victory over Wagner.

Patterson ended the night with 14 points, including 3-of-6 from three-point land, and Epps chipped in 10 points and four assists. CCSU led for 34 of the game's 40 minutes, and saw it's largest lead, 16, with 7:57 to go in the third. Lydon snagged seven rebounds to help CCSU out-rebound the Seahawks, 42-38.

Wagner's Kerstie Phills notched a double-double and game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. Tanasia Russell added 18 points for WC in the loss. Central shot 31.8% overall, compared to Wagner's 39.6% from the floor, but out-shot the Seahawks from deep, connected on 35.3% to their 20.0% from behind the arc.