Women's Hoops Face Saint Francis U in NEC Quarterfinal Sunday, 3 PM
The CCSU women's basketball team faces Saint Francis U in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament on Sunday in Loretto, PA.
The Central Connecticut women's basketball team (12-17, 9-9 NEC) travels to Loretto, PA to take on the Saint Francis U Red Flash (14-16, 11-7 NEC) in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast Conference Tournament on Sunday. The Blue Devils earned the #5 seed after finishing fifth in regular season conference standings, while the Red Flash enter the tournament as the #4 seed. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside DeGol Arena and all of the action can be seen live, for free, on NECFrontRow.com.
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All-NEC • Sophomore Camden Musgrave and freshman Kiana Patterson were honored by the Northeast Conference with postseason awards on Friday morning in an announcement via Twitter by the league front office. Musgrave was named to the All-NEC Third Team, while Patterson was tabbed to the NEC All-Rookie Team. Musgrave, a NEC All-Rookie selection last season, led the Blue Devils in scoring this season at 10.9 points per game on her way to All-NEC Third Team honors. She poured in 293 points over the course of the regular season, doing much of her damage from beyond the arc by draining a team-high 53 three pointers. Patterson quickly emerged as a scoring threat for the Blue Devils in her first season in New Britain and the Northeast Conference, especially from beyond the arc. En route to earning a spot on the NEC All-Rookie Team, Paterson led CCSU in three-point field goal percentage making 47 triples in 126 attempts, good for 37.3%.
Series History (11-25) • Today's matchup marks the 37th meeting all-time between these two programs at the Division I level. The Red Flash hold a commanding 25-11 advantage in the series, but the Blue Devils won both meetings earlier this season.
Postseason Series History (0-3) • The Blue Devils have never beaten the Red Flash in the postseason and are 0-3, including 0-2 inside Degol Arena. The most recent postseason meeting came during the quarterfinal round of 2013 NEC Tournament where SFU topped CCSU 66-63 in Loretto. SFU also handed CCSU a, 68-63, loss in the semi-final round of the 2011 NEC Tournament. The other postseason meeting was in the semi-final round of the 2009 NEC Tournament where the Red Flash beat the Blue Devils 73-62 on a neutral court.
Last Time Out • The Blue Devils defeated St. Francis Brooklyn, 67-61, on the road Monday night in CCSU's regular season finale to secure the #5 seed in the NEC Tournament. Sophomore Camden Musgrave and senior Kayla Miller combined to score 27 points, all in the second half, to overcome a four-point halftime deficit and defeat the Terriers. Musgrave finished with a team-high 14 points to pace the Blue Devils in the win. Miller added 13, pouring in 11 in the third quarter to fuel the second half comeback. Junior Aleah Epps also chipped in with 13 points and tied her career-high with seven assists. She also had a team-high seven rebounds and four steals.
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, on Feb. 22 to lock up a spot for the Blue Devils in the NEC Tournament.
Piper vs. Saint Francis U • Head Coach Beryl Piper is 7-12 against Saint Francis U all-time in her ninth season at the helm of the Blue Devils. Central has won the last three meetings against SFU under Piper's watch, but they are just 2-8 all-time under Piper inside DeGol Arena.
Earlier This Season • The Blue Devils swept the Red Flash earlier this season winning, 66-51, at home on Jan. 23 before topping SFU, 79-59, exactly one month ago on Feb. 6 in Loretto. In the latest meeting between these two teams, four Blue Devils scored in double figures as CCSU cruised to a 79-59 victory at SFU. Central never trailed in the game after jumping out to an early 10-1 lead just four minutes into the contest. Junior Aleah Epps led four Blue Devils in double figures with a game-high 15 points. Senior TeJahne Malone and sophomore Camden Musgrave added 14 each and sophomore Emma Stroyan chipped in with 12. Central shot 46.7% (28-60) from the floor and converted at a 72.4% (21-29) clip from the free throw line in the game. They dominated the glass out-rebounding the Red Flash 47-37 and forced 14 SFU turnovers turning them into 25 points.
Scouting the Red Flash • SFU finished the regular season 14-16 overall, 11-7 in the NEC and sported a 9-3 record at home. They average 74.3 ppg as a team and are led by NEC Freshman of the Year, Jessica Kovatch, who averages 21.2 ppg. Kovatch was named the NEC Freshman of the Year, named to the NEC All-Rookie Team and was a member of the All-NEC Second Team. She is a versatile scorer for the Red Flash, shooting 40.9% from the filed, including 35.6% from beyond the arc. Central will also have to control Brielle Ward who leads the team in rebound grabbing 7.7 rpg.
