Looking to secure the eighth and final seed in the Northeast Conference, Central Connecticut women’s basketball split their two games against Mount St. Mary’s and LIU Brooklyn, respectively. With Fairleigh Dickinson losing both of their games, the Blue Devils now sit at the eighth seed in the NEC and could secure as such in their next game.

Desperate for a win, CCSU first game of the week came against a less than optimal opponent. The 8-8 Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary’s had already handed the Blue Devils a tough loss earlier in the season, defeating Central 84-53 in January.

In her first career start, sophomore Emma McCamus scored Central’s first six points shooting 3/4 from the field as they trailed 9-6 early on. Central’s first lead came after a 5-0 run that included a pair of free throws from senior Kiana Patterson, making the score 12-11 with 3:59 left in the quarter. The Mountaineers, however, would end the quarter with the leading by three after a 6-1 run.

Central’s best effort came in the second quarter. Junior Ashley Chin scored six straight points off the bench and Central would eventually take the lead 22-20 with 5:38 left in the half. After a 9-0 run extended Central’s lead to 27-20, the Mountaineers caught life and scored the last five points of the half after being held scoreless for more than five minutes. They would cut Central’s lead to 27-25 at halftime despite only scoring six points in the second.

The third quarter was all about the Mounts’ shooting. After trading baskets with Central to begin the quarter, freshman Michaela Harrison shot and made two threes in a 47-second span with the Mountaineers leading 35-31 with 6:13 left in the quarter. Following a Syndey Hines three from Central, cutting the lead back down to one, Daly Sullivan of the Mountaineers hit a pair of threes in a minute to extend their lead to 43-34.

The Mountaineers shot 46.7 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc and held Central to just 10 points in the quarter. The Mountaineers lead 47-37 at the end of the third.

“Them scoring. Them scoring the basketball and then being able to get up and put pressure on the ball that takes away our transition,” head coach Beryl Piper said of what took away Central’s second-half momentum.

Central went cold in the fourth, shooting 1-15 from the field and only scoring seven points. Mount St. Mary scored 14 points in the quarter, including five from leading scorer Harris. The Mountaineers closed the game on a 12-point run with a final score of 61-44.

“We have to beat LIU at LIU, and then we have to beat FDU,” Piper said, laying out what the team must do to clinch a playoff spot. She also said that the team as a whole needs to play better in order to win, and it comes down to every individual’s effort on the team.

And play better they did. After the tough outing against the Mountaineers, the Blue Devils looked like a completely different team against LIU Brooklyn, defeating the Blackbirds 72-59.

Central’s offense took the center stage Saturday, as Patterson (23), Ashley Berube (13) and Chin (10) all scored in double figures. Berube also dominated the glass, leading the team with nine rebounds.

After the Blackbirds scored the first basket of the game, they never lead again, instead trying to keep pace with Central. In the clutch, the Blue Devils kicked it up a notch, shooting 50 percent from the field and from three in the fourth quarter. It is at this pace that CCSU would take their largest lead of the day, a 16-point advantage.

The Blue Devils will be able to solidify their playoff spot in their upcoming game against Fairleigh Dickinson, who sits just one game behind.