Women's Basketball Edges Saint Francis, 70-67, In Overtime

A pair of Belle Lanpher free throws with 30 seconds to play in overtime snapped a 66-66 tie and gave the Central Connecticut State women's basketball team a 68-66 advantage which they would not relinquished on their way to a 70-67 Northeast Conference road win over the host Red Flash of Saint Francis University.  With the victory that snaps a two-game losing skid, the Blue Devils are now 7-17 overall and 6-5 in conference play.  SFU is now 9-16 overall and 7-5 in the NEC.  Belle Lanpher led CCSU with a game-high 26 points.  She was joined in double-digit scoring by a pair of players that starred off the Central bench in Lucia Noin with 17 points and Jessica Farrell with 11 points.  Noin finished with her first double-double in a Blue Devils' uniform, as she grabbed a career-high and team-best 10 rebounds.   Airah Lavy led a trio of Saint Francis' players in double figures with 17 points, as she knocked down five three-point shots including a triple with 29 seconds to play in regulation to send the game into overtime tied at 59-59.

GAME INFORMATION |BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 70, Saint Francis 67 OT
Records: CCSU (7-17, 6-5 NEC), Saint Francis (9-16, 7-5  NEC)
Location: DeGol Arena |Loretto, Pa.

KEY MOMENTS

• Dagny Slomack made the game's first basket 1:31 into action to give Central its only lead of the first quarter at 2-0, as the Red Flash led the contest 13-6 after 10 minutes.
• The Blue Devils would respond in the second quarter, as they outscored Saint Francis, 23-14.  CCSU headed into halftime with a 29-27 lead when Amaya Williams canned a jumper six seconds before intermission.  Lucia Noin led Central with 10 points in the first half, and Jessica Farrell chipped in eight first half points.  Farrell and Meghan Kenefick led the Blue Devils on the glass in the first 20 minutes with five boards apiece.
• Central continued to keep the offensive pressure up against the hosts, as the Blue Devils extended their advantage to, 46-40, heading into the fourth quarter.
• The Blue Devils led 55-48 with 4:50 to play in the fourth period, but SFU would go on an 8-0 run capped off by an Airah Lavy three-pointer with 1:45 to go in regulation to grab a 56-56 lead.
• CCSU would then take a 58-56 advtage with 55 seconds renaming in the fourth when Belle Lanpher completed a traditional three-point play with a bucker and a free throw.  Lanpher then upped CCSU's lead to three points at 59-56 when she split two free throws with 36 seconds to go in regulation, but Lavy struck again to tie the game at 59-59 with a triple with 29 seconds to go in the fourth for the final points of regulation as neither team could score for the remainder of the quarter.
• The Red Flash opened the scoring in the extra period, but the Blue Devils would go on a 7-0 run to grab a 66-61 lead with 2:02 to go in overtime.
• Saint Francis would come right back with a 5-0 run of their own to tie the game once again at 66-66 with 58 seconds to play.
• Belle Lanpher would then hit two free throws with 30 seconds remain to give Central a 68-66 lead which they never relinquished.
• SFU had a chance to tie the tilt at the foul line with 11 seconds to play, but Ineivi Plata missed the first of two charity tosses.  Her second free throw was good to make the score 68-67 in favor of CCSU.
• Lanpher would then connect on two more free throws with nine seconds to play to give the Blue Devils a 70-67 advantage which turned out to be the final score, as Meghan Kenefick blocked a final attempt by the hosts to tie the game at the buzzer with a three-point shot.

NUMBER TO KNOW

2–Saturday was the Blue Devils' second road win of the season.

NOTES

• With her 26 points on Saturday, Belle Lanpher has now scored a total of 1372 career points heading into Thursday's home game against Chicago State. Lanpher is now 39 points away from moving into the third slot on CCSU's all-time scoring list.   Belle has reached double figures in all 14 games she has played this season and a total of 17 straight outings.  So far in 2024-25, Lanpher is averaging 22.2 points per game.    
• Saturday's game featured 10 lead changes and seven ties.
• The Blue Devils got a total of 31 bench points at Saint Francis, and CCSU turned 18 Red Flash turnovers into 13 points.
• CCSU scored 38 points in the paint to close out their Pennsylvania road trip.
• Central won the battle of the boards against the Red Flash by a slim 39-38 margin.
• Lucia Noin notched her first double-double in a CCSU uniform on Saturday with her 17-point and 10-rebound performance.  Those 10 boards are a career-high surpassing her previous best total of nine.
• Saturday's win avenges a 79-63 home loss against Saint Francis by the Blue Devils in their NEC opener on January 2.

UP NEXT

• CCSU returns to Detrick Gymnasium this Thursday, February 20, when the Blue Devils host Chicago State University at 7:00 p.m.