Central Hangs on to Defeat Bryant

Central Connecticut women's basketball was able to get back in the victory column with a 61-53 win over Bryant. The Blue Devils took a lead into halftime and did not surrender it the rest of the way. Central snaps its four game losing streak and climbs to 3-6 overall and 3-6 in the NEC. With the loss, Bryant falls to under .500 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

Forever Toppin led the Blue Devils in scoring, putting up 14 points along with 7 rebounds. Senior Ashley Forker scored 12 points on an efficient 4-7 shooting. Angelique Rodriguez also scored in double figures with 11 points.

The Blue Devils played a stellar game defensively, only giving up 53 points which is the lowest an opponent has scored against Central this season. Bryant was held to under 40% shooting as a team. Central also had 7 blocks as a team, including 3 from forward Jamey Napoleon.

Brooke Bjelko posted a double-double for Bryant with 11 points and 10 rebounds. However, she was held to just 5-15 from the floor. Kandis Taylor also scored in double figures for the Bulldogs with 10 points and adding 4 steals.

The Blue Devils win for the first time in 2021 and move to 2-2 at home on the season.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: CCSU 61, Bryant 53

Records: CCSU (3-6, 3-6 NEC), Bryant (4-5, 2-3 NEC)

Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS 

• The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, getting 5 early points from Nicole Gallagher. Bryant gained a 11-4 lead a little over five minutes into the game.

• Claire Sutherland-Case drew a foul on a three point attempt at the 3:02 mark in the first quarter. Case made two out of three and sparked a 9-0 for the Blue Devils to give the team a 13-11 lead.

• Forever Toppin and Dejah Jenkins each hit a three pointer on back to back possessions early in the second quarter. 

• The Blue Devils held on to its lead until Kandis Taylor hit a jump shot with 23 seconds remaining in the half to tie the ballgame. Forever Toppin was able to answer with a deep three pointer as time expired, giving Central a 29-26 lead.

• The Blue Devils took a 6 point lead after Angelique Rodriguez hit a three pointer with 4:20 left in the third. She scored 6 points in the quarter, all coming from behind the three point line. Bryant was able to cut the lead to 2 with a jump shot from Juliette Golden.

• Central held just a 43-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

• Bryant pulled within two points at the 3:02 mark, but on the next possession Jamey Napoleon made a clutch baseline jump shot on a beautiful pass from Ashley Forker. This made it a two possession game.

• Bryant was unable to score on its next trip and a layup from Forever Toppin extended Central's lead to 55-49.

• The Blue Devils closed the game out shooting 6-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:02 to secure the victory.

NUMBER TO KNOW

22 – Central contributed 22 points off the bench compared to just 6 for Bryant.

NOTES 

• Dejah Jenkins made her second consecutive start of the season. She knocked down a career high 3 three pointers and also logged a career high 32 minutes.

• Junior Danielle Delano scored 7 points in just 7 minutes of action. She went a perfect 1-1 from downtown and 2-2 from the foul line.

• The Blue Devils won its first game of the season when being outrebounded. Bryant grabbed 46 total rebounds compared to just 36 for CCSU.

• Bryant shot an unsettling 2-15 (13.3%) from the foul line, by far a season low. The Blue Devils shot a solid 13-17 (76.5%), including 6-8 down the stretch. 

• Central forced a season high 20 turnovers and were able to score 16 points off them.

• The Blue Devils were able to get out into transition all night, scoring 16 points from fast breaks compared to just 2 points for Bryant.

Up Next:

The Blue Devils will again host the Bryant Bulldogs tomorrow night with tip off at 7:00 pm.

All conference games stream for free live on Necfrontrow.com.