Central Falls to Merrimack on Saturday

Central Connecticut women's basketball suffered a 19 point loss to Merrimack on Saturday night. The Blue Devils had multiple key players missing and were unable to keep pace on the offensive end with Merrimack. With the loss, Central falls to 3-8 overall and in NEC play. The Warriors win its third straight game and now stand at 3-6 overall and 3-6 in the conference. 

Rookie Belle Lanpher scored a career high 15 points, knocking down 3 three point shots. Forever Toppin found her way back in double figures, adding 13 points and 2 rebounds. Dejah Jenkins hit a pair of threes, adding 6 points for the Blue Devils.

Central shot under 40% as a team for the eighth time this season and are 1-7 when shooting at that mark. Merrimack shot 47.5% as a team and scored over 80 points for the second game in a row.

Mayson Kimball scored a game high 24 points, netting 5 three pointers. Jayme Decesare scored 13 points and went a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Alyssa Casey, Kate Mager, and Alana Fursman all added 12 points for Merrimack.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: CCSU 62, Merrimack 81

Records: CCSU (3-8, 3-8 NEC), Merrimack (3-6, 3-6 NEC)

Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, MA

KEY MOMENTS 

• Claire Sutherland-Case made a tough layup at the 6:26 mark in the first quarter giving the Blue Devils an early 5-4 lead. Merrimack responded with a 9-0 run over a two minute span.

• Alli Napoli ended the run with a free throw and earned her first collegiate point. Central trailed 20-14 at the end of the first.

• Forever Toppin nailed her third three pointer of the first half to tie the game at 22 at the 7:38 mark in the second quarter.

• The Blue Devils turned the ball over on three straight possessions, resulting in a 7-0 run for Merrimack.

• Central made just two field goals in the final five minutes and trailed 41-29 at the half.

• Dejah Jenkins hit back to back threes for Central near the halfway mark of the third quarter. The Blue Devils shot 5-15 from the floor, including 3-11 from three in the quarter.

• The Blue Devils played a solid fourth quarter, shooting 7-16 from the floor as a team, but Merrimack went 2-5 from downtown and hung on for the victory.

NUMBER TO KNOW

43 – The Warriors went 9-21 from three (43%) while the Blue Devils went 9-31 from beyond the arc.

NOTES 

• Freshman Alli Napoli scored her first career point, after knocking down a free throw in the first quarter. She scored 5 points on a career high 17 minutes.

• Ashley Forker went 3-4 from the floor and dished out 5 assists. 

• Jamey Napoleon tied a career high 38 minutes, adding 6 points and 7 rebounds.

• Sophomore Claire Sutherland-Case made her first career start, scoring 7 points including 3-4 from the charity stripe.

• Central had 5 team blocks tonight, but allowed 32 points in the paint.

• The Blue Devils shot a solid 9-12 from the free throw line (75.0%).

Up Next:

Central will look for revenge against Merrimack tomorrow, with the game tipping off at 4:00 pm. No fans will be in attendance, but the game will stream for free on Necfrontrow.com.