January 15, 2024
Central Stopped at Merrimack in Monday Afternoon Tilt
The Central Connecticut women's basketball team fell to The Merrimack Warriors, 71-53, at Hammel Court on Saturday afternoon.
The Central Connecticut women's basketball team fell to The Merrimack Warriors, 71-53, at Hammel Court on Saturday afternoon.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: CCSU 71, Merrimack 53
Records: CCSU (4-12) (2-1 NEC), Merrimack (4-13) (1-3 NEC)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, MA
KEY MOMENTS
- The Blue Devils were scoreless through two minutes of play until Belle Lanpher corralled her own miss for a putback layup to make the score 2-2 at the 7:59 mark.
- Jayme DeCesare hit her second three-pointer of the quarter with 3:13 left to play to give Merrimack an early 10-8 lead.
- A pair of baskets from Alonna Sellers and Samora Watson gave Central a 14-12 advantage, but Merrimack hit a last-second buzzer-beater putback to end the quarter at 14 a piece.
- The Blue Devils were without a basket until the 5:17 mark when junior guard Amaya Williams connected for a three-ball to cut the Merrimack lead to 23-19. She hit her second triple of the quarter on a feed from Lanpher that tied the game at 26 with 2:09 left in the half.
- Lanpher possessed the ball with the first half winding down and nailed a step-back jumper to give Central a 30-26 lead at the half.
- Merrimack came out of the locker room with a 10-2 run to start the second half and took a 36-32 lead midway through the third quarter.
- Merrimack's lead grew to 50-36 when Jayme DeCesare hit another three-ball with 0:33 second left in the third quarter.
- The Warriors took their largest lead of the contest after Lydia Melashenko made a layup to give her team a 61-46 lead with 2:46 left in the 4th quarter.
NOTES
- Merrimack remains the leader in the all-time series with a 6-3 record vs the Blue Devils. The Warriors have defeated Central in three straight.
- Merrimack outscored the Blue Devils 24-to-8 in the third quarter. They were 4-for-7 beyond the arc and shot 57.1% to the Blue Devils 15.4% from the floor.
- Alonna Sellers led CCSU with 14 points and 5 rebounds.
- Amaya Williams added 13 points for Central Connecticut and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the line.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils will play their next conference game at Merrimack on Jan 15th at 3:00 PM.
