The Central Connecticut State University women’s basketball team secured its first victory of the season with a 58-49 win over the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Detrick Gymnasium on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
The Blue Devils took an early lead by outscoring Umass Lowell 31-16 in the first half. But, in the third quarter, the River Hawks fought back and managed to reduce the deficit by six points, putting themselves back in the game.
With the game tied and just over two minutes remaining, freshman Kayla Henry scored to put the Blue Devils up 49-47.
On the ensuing River Hawks’ possession, senior Belle Lanpher drew a charge to force a turnover and get the ball back for the Blue Devils.
Sophomore Samora Watson then hit a jump shot to give the Blue Devils control of the game with just 1:17 left to play. From there, Central just had to knock down free throws on their way to victory.
Lanpher, who scored 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting and grabbed three rebounds, attributed the victory to the team’s grit and determination.
“Yeah, grit is what it took,” Lanpher said. “We used grit and determination to help us get through a tough first home win of the season, and we are going to use that in our future home games.”
Rebounding was a major focus for head coach Way Veney, who highlighted it as the team’s biggest challenge going into their next game against Fairfield University.
“Fairfield is just coming off a win, and something we need to improve on is rebounding,” Veney said. “This is going to be essential because if we don’t rebound well against this team, we will struggle big time.”
After her first win as head coach of the CCSU women’s basketball team, Veney credited her players for their hard work and dedication.
“You know I really have to credit our players,” Veney said. “They went out there and played their tales out.”
The Blue Devils will be back in action on Sunday, Nov. 26, when they face Fairfield in Detrick Gymnasium.
