CCSU Suffers a Tough Defeat at St. Francis Brooklyn by a score of 80-77.

The Central Connecticut women's basketball team suffered a tough 80-77 loss in its second matchup with St. Francis Brooklyn, on Tuesday. CCSU struggled out of the gate, but were able to storm back. They had the lead late in the fourth quarter, but were unable to hold on. The Blue Devils move to 1-1 on the season, while St. Francis Brooklyn captures its first win, bringing the team to 1-3.

Senior forward Ashley Berube gave all she had, posting another double double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Emma McCamus scored 14 points, going a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. Freshman Belle Lanpher scored in double digits for the first time in her young career, adding 12 points for the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils shot a respectable 40% from three, but their opponent topped CCSU, shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc.

St. Francis Brooklyn's Ally Lassen had another stellar performance, raking in 20 points. Fruzsina Horvath added 17 points of her own, going 7-10 from the field.

This is the first loss for the Blue Devils since February 19, 2020.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: St. Francis Brooklyn 80, CCSU 77

Records: CCSU (1-1, 1-1 NEC), St. Francis Brooklyn (1-3, 1-3 NEC)

Location: Daniel Lynch '38 Gymnasium | Brooklyn Heights, NY

KEY MOMENTS 

• Central had a rough first quarter, only scoring 12 total points and shooting 5-16 from the floor. St. Francis ended the quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 23-12 lead.

• The Blue Devils fought back in the second quarter, forcing 7 Terrier turnovers. Ashley Berube made a huge block that led to a Tiffany Slicklein three with 1:11 remaining in the half. The Blue Devils would only trail by 3 at halftime.

• Solid defensive play kept the Blue Devils alive in the third quarter. The team held St. Francis to just 7-25 from the floor. Belle Lanpher scored 8 in the third.

• CCSU had a 77-75 lead with just 1:45 left in the game, until Melody Van Ness hit a go ahead three point basket. Van Ness finished with 8 points in the game, 2-7 from three.

• In the final minute, the Blue Devils had multiple chances to tie the game. Emma McCamus missed a good look from the corner with 11 seconds left. St. Francis then missed both free throws to keep CCSU's hopes alive. Forever Toppin couldn't connect on two game tying three point shots, but on the second attempt Tiffany Slicklein grabbed the rebound and was able to call timeout with .04 seconds. However, McCamus's desperation shot was blocked and time expired.

NUMBER TO KNOW

10 – There were 10 total lead changes throughout the game, including 7 times both teams were tied.

NOTES 

• Belle Lanpher scored a career high 12 points, in only 12:31 minutes of play. The freshman also added 2 steals in her performance.

• CCSU allowed four players to score in double figures for the Terriers. Those four scored a combined 65 of the 80 points for St. Francis.

• The Blue Devils were once again solid from the foul line. The team went 11-14, including McCamus and Lanpher who went a combined 9-9.

• CCSU was outrebounded 47-38 in the contest. St. Francis also brought in 25 offensive rebounds, which led to 19 second chance points.

• Ashley Berube recorded her second double double in a row for the Blue Devils. She finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 11-19 from the floor. The senior also added 4 more blocks, bringing her total to 9 in the first two games.

• Ashley Forker added 8 points and a team high 7 assists for CCSU.

• The Blue Devils recorded 13 blocks to only 1 for St. Francis Brooklyn.

UP NEXT

CCSU plays their home opener at 4:00 pm on Saturday, Dec. 19 against Fairleigh Dickinson. The Blue Devils will also play the next day at 6:00 pm against the Knights.

All Northeast Conference games are available to watch online, for free, at NECFrontRow.com.