
Second Half Rally Lifts Women's Basketball To A 62-55 Win At Wagner
Belle Lanpher Nets A Career-High 37 Points To Lead CCSU
Trailing by 10 points, 49-39, with 2:21 to play in the third quarter, the Central Connecticut State University women's basketball team went on a 23-6 run to close out the game to post their first road win of the season, a 62-55 Northeast Conference victory over the host Wagner College Seahawks on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils, who are currently on a three-game winning streak, are now 4-13 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Wagner slips to 4-11 overall, and the Seahawks are 1-2 in the NEC. CCSU graduate student guard Belle Lanpher helped lead her team to the win, as she scored a career-high 37 points, 24 of which came in the second half. She was joined in double figures by Amaya Williams who finished with 14 points. Dagny Slomack finished just shy of double digits for the winners with nine points. Meghan Kenefick grabbed a game and season-high 14 rebounds for the winners, and she also dished of a season-best six assists. Lanpher fell just one rebound shy of her second double-double of the week finishing with nine on the day. Taleah Washington led Wagner with 17 points, and Julia Fabozzi pulled down a team-leading 11 boards for the Seahawks.
GAME INFORMATION |BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 62, Wagner 55
Records: CCSU (4-13, 3-1 NEC), Wagner (4-11, 1-2 NEC)
Location: Spiro Sports Center |Staten Island, N.Y.
KEY MOMENTS
- CCSU got off to a good start in their first NEC road game of the year leading 8-7 at the first quarter media timeout.
- Wagner, who finished the first quarter on a 9-2 run, led 18-16 at the end of 10 minutes. Belle Lanpher and Dagny Slomack scored all of the Blue Devils' points in the opening stanza, as Lanpher had 10 points and Slomack added six.
- The hosts would increase their advantage to five points at 26-21 at the second quarter media break which came at the 4:19 mark.
- The Seahawks led 31-25 at the half, after Wagner outscored CCSU, 13-9, in the second quarter. Belle Lanpher led all scorers in the game after 20 minutes of action with 13 points. Meghan Kenefick led the visitors on the boards with six rebounds in the first half.
- Three-pointers made by Belle Lanpher and Amaya Williams in the final minute of the third quarter cut a 10-point Wagner lead down to four, 49-45, heading into the fourth quarter.
- A Lanpher three at the 7:48 mark of the fourth quarter cut the Blue Devils' deficit to one at 51-50, and she would then give CCSU its first lead since the first quarter at 52-51 with a pair of free throws at the 7:08 mark.
- Another Lanpher basket increased CCSU's advantage to three, 54-51, at the 5:38 mark of the fourth period.
- Amaya Williams would up the Blue Devils' lead to 59-51 with 2:13 to play when she hit a floating jump shot.
- CCSU outscored Wagner, 17-6, in the fourth quarter to make the final score 62-55 in favor of Central
NUMBER TO KNOW
37–Points scored by Belle Lanpher which are a career-high.
NOTES
- Belle Lanpher's career-best 37 points at Wagner came on a 13-22 shooting day from the floor, including going 5-of-10 from three-point range. Her previous career-best in scoring was a 30-point performance at Saint Francis Brooklyn on February 2, 2023. Belle has reached double figures in the scoring department in all seven games she has played during the 2024-25 campaign. After going a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line on Saturday, Lanpher is now 37-of-40 from the free throw stripe (92.5%).
- With her 14 points on Saturday, Amaya Williams has now reached double figures in five games this season.
- Meghan Kenefick's 14 rebounds on Saturday are just one shy of her career-high which came versus Wagner on January 21, 2023.
- CCSU outscored Wagner, 37-24, in Saturday's second half.
- The Blue Devils had another strong day at the foul line in Saturday's win going 10-of-11 from the charity stripe (90.9%).
- Both Belle Lanpher and Meghan Kenefick played all 40 minutes on Saturday.
- Central won the battle of the boards against the Seahawks, 43-40.
UP NEXT
- After a week's break from game action, the Blue Devils continue their three-game conference road trip next Saturday, January 18 in New Jersey against FDU. Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m., and the matchup will be televised on the YES Network