Big Fourth Quarter Lifts Women's Basketball To Win Over Stonehill

Trailing by five points, 48-43, entering the fourth quarter, the Central Connecticut State women's basketball team exploded on offense in the fourth quarter, outscoring the visiting Stonehill College Shyhawks, 28-11, to post a 71-59 comeback Northeast Conference victory in Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.  With the win, Central is now 6-15 overall and 5-3 in conference play. Stonehill falls 9-12 overall, and the Skyhawks are also 5-3 in the NEC. Graduate student guard Belle Lanpher led all scorers in the game with 26 points.  She was joined in double figures by red-shirt, freshman Selina Monestime with 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half to help spearhead her team's comeback and senior Amaya Williams chipped in 11 points for the winners.  Monestime led CCSU on the boards with six rebounds, and freshman Jessica Farrell pulled five rebounds for the Blue Devils.   Brooke Paquette led three Stonehill players in double figures with 18 points, and teammate Kylie Swider finished with a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

GAME INFORMATION |BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 71, Stonehill 59
Records: CCSU (6-15, 5-3 NEC), Stonehill (9-12, 5-3  NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium |New Britain, Conn.

KEY MOMENTS

• After a Stonehill three-pointer, Kayla Henry got CCSU on the board with a layup off an Amaya Williams assist 41 seconds into play.
• Amaya Williams netted five of her team's first seven points, as the game was tied 7-7 after three minutes.
• The contest was a back-and-forth affair in the early going with Stonehill holding a slim 15-13 lead at the first quarter media break which came with 4:06 remaining in the frame.
• At the end of the first quarter, the visiting Skyhawks led 18-15.  CCSU's Belle Lanpher led all scorers in the game with eight points after the opening 10 minutes.  Those eight points moved Lanpher into fifth place on the Central women's basketball all-time scoring list.
• Stonehill opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run to extend its lead to 25-17, forcing CCSU to call a timeout at the 6:40 mark of the period.
• The visitors outscored the hosts, 17-13, in the second quarter to give Stonehill a 35-28 lead at the halftime break.  Belle Lanpher led CCSU with 10 points and Amaya Williams chipped in nine.  Stonehill's Brooke Paquette led all scorers in the first half with 14 points.  Stonehill was red-hot from behind the three-point arc in the first half hitting 6-of-10 triples (60.0%).
• The Blue Devils outscored the Skyhawks, 15-13, in the third quarter to make the score, 48-43, in favor of Stonehill heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
• CCSU opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back baskets to cut the Stonehill lead down to just one, 48-47, with 8:37 to go in the frame, forcing the Skyhawks to call timeout.
• Eight straight points by Selina Monestime gave Central a 55-48 lead with 6:31 to go in the fourth.
• Central would up their advantage to eight points at 63-55 when Kayla Henry split two free throws with 2:08 to play.
• CCSU dominated the fourth quarter, as the Blue Devils outscored the Skyhawks, 28-11, to earn the 71-59 victory.
• The Blue Devils outscored Stonehill, 43-24, over the final 20 minutes of play.
• Stonehill was limited to a field goal percentage of 25.0 in the second half, as the Shyhawks hit only 8-of-32 attempts from the floor, including only going 3-for-14 (21.4%) from three-point range.

NUMBER TO KNOW

43–Second half points scored by CCSU in Saturday's win.

NOTES

• With her game-high 26 points on Saturday, Belle Lanpher has moved into fourth place on CCSU's all-time women's basketball scoring list. She has a total of 1314 career points heading into next Thursday's game versus FDU. Lanpher is now 97 points away from moving into the third slot on CCSU's all-time scoring list.   Belle has reached double figures in all 11 games she has played this season and a total of 13 straight outings dating back to last season, and she has topped the 20-point plateau in six consecutive outings.   So far in 2024-25, Lanpher is averaging 23.0 points per game.     
• CCSU committed a season low seven turnovers in this Saturday's win after only committing eight in last Saturday's triumph over LeMoyne.
• Selina Monestime's 16 points are just two off her career-best of 18 set in this season's second game versus Manhattan.
• Amaya Williams has reached double-digit scoring in three straight games, and she has hit for double figures eight times during the 2024-25 campaign.
• Central forced Stonehill into 19 turnovers on Saturday, which they converted into 21 points.
• The Blue Devils blocked a season-high eight shots on Saturday led by Selina Monestine with three swats, and Meghan Kenefick had two blocks.
• 12 steals by Central against the Shyhawks marks the team's second highest total of the season behind 17 thefts versus Bridgeport on November 29, 2024.
• The win over Stonehill marks the third time this year that the Blue Devils have surpassed 70 points in a game.
• Saturday's victory gives CCSU a 5-6 home record so far in 2024-25.

UP NEXT

• The Blue Devils wrap up their three-game homestand this coming Thursday, February 6, when the team at the top of the NEC standings, the Knights of FDU, come to Detrick Gymnasium for a 4:00 p.m. game.  The FDU game will be only available to watch on ESPN+.