
Women's Basketball Topped By St. Francis To Open NEC Play
Amaya Williams Leads CCSU With A Career-High 17 Points
The Central Connecticut State women's basketball team opened Northeast Conference play on Thursday afternoon with a 79-63 loss against the visiting Red Flash of Saint Francis University. With the loss, CCSU is now 1-13 overall and 0-1 in conference play. Saint Francis is now 3-11 overall and 1-0 in the NEC. The Red Flash shot a season-best 58.6 percent from the floor, as they connected on 34-of-58 field goals, and they dominated play inside, as 46 of their points came from within the paint. Amaya Williams led the Blue Devils with a career-high 17 points off the Central bench, and she was joined in double figures by Belle Lanpher and Alonna Sellers, who each had 12 points on the day. Sellers finished with her third double-double of the season, as she finished with a team-high 10 rebounds. Saint Francis' Natalie Johnson led all scorers in the game with 20 points, as she hit 8-of-9 field goals, including going 4-of-5 from behind the three-point arc. Teammate Jade Campbell finished with a double-double of 19 points and a game-best 11 rebounds, and Yanessa Boyd gave the winners a trio of double-digit scorers with 10 points.
GAME INFORMATION |BOX SCORE
Score: Saint Francis PA 79, CCSU 63
Records: CCSU (1-13, 0-1 NEC), Saint Francis (3-11, 1-0 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium |New Britain, Conn.
KEY MOMENTS
- Belle Lanpher gave the host Blue Devils a 2-0 lead 30 seconds into play with a fade-away jumper.
- St. Francis would then go on a 16-5 run to take a 16-7 lead at the first media timeout of the afternoon at the 3:30 mark of the opening quarter.
- The Red Flash led 18-12 after the first quarter. Amaya Williams led CCSU with five points, and Alonna Sellers grabbed six rebounds in the opening stanza.
- SFU scored the first six points of the second quarter to extend its lead to 13 points, 25-12, before Dagny Slomack canned a three-pointer with 6:39 reaming in the first half.
- Following Slomack's three, Central would then score the next two baskets to make the score, 25-19, in favor of the visitors at the second quarter media break at the 4:50 mark.
- The visitors would extend their lead to 12 points at the halftime break, 36-24, as the Red Flash outscored the Blue Devils, 18-12, over the second ten minutes of action. Dagny Slomack led CCSU with six points in the first half, followed by Alonna Sellers and Amaya Williams with five points apiece. St. Francis' Natalie Johnson led all scorers in the game with 10 first half points, followed by Jade Campbell with eight. Sellers had seven rebounds to lead all players in the first half.
- The Red Flash shot the ball well in the first half going 16-of-35 from the floor (45.7%); while the Blue Devils shot 10-of-31 (32.3%).
- St. Francis got off to quick start in the third quarter going on a 7-2 run in the first 2:30 of the period to take a 43-26 advantage and that lead would increase to 20 points at 47-27 with 6:30 to play in the period.
- The third quarter was a high scoring stanza, as the visitors outscored CCSU, 24-22, to take a 60-46 lead heading into the final frame. Alonna Sellers led the Blue Devils with 10 points through three quarters. St. Francis went 9-of-11 from the floor in the third quarter (81.8%).
- The Red Flash upped their advantage by two points to a 16-point lead, 70-54, at the media timeout in the fourth quarter at the 4:36 mark.
- SFU outscored CCSU, 19-17, in the fourth quarter to make the final score, 79-63, as the Blue Devils could pull no closer than a 12-point deficit over the final 10 minutes of action.
NUMBER TO KNOW
3–The CCSU women's basketball team opens NEC play with three consecutive home games.
NOTES
- With her 12 points on Thursday, Belle Lanpher has moved into ninth place on the CCSU all-time scoring list with 1135 points. Lanpher also had a team-high five assists on Thursday and went 4-for-4 from the foul line. In her four games played so far this year, Belle is 15-of-16 from the charity stripe (93.8%).
- Amaya Williams' career-high 17 points topped her previous career-best total of 16 that came against Wagner on January 21, 2023. On Thursday, Williams went 6-of-9 from the floor, including going 4-of-5 from three-point range.
- SFU outrebounded CCSU by a 42-31 margin on Thursday.
- The Blue Devils committed a season-low nine turnovers against the Red Flash.
- With three boards on Thursday, graduate student Meghan Kenefick is now just five rebounds shy of 500 for her career.
UP NEXT
- The Blue Devils continue a three-game homestand to open NEC action when conference newcomer Mercyhurst University comes to New Britain, this Saturday, January 4. Game time versus the Lakers is set for 1:00 p.m.