In what was a nail-biter, the Central Connecticut State University women’s basketball team lost 61-59 to the Dartmouth Big Green on Monday, Dec. 16 at Detrick Gymnasium.
The game was tight the whole way through, with the Blue Devils holding the largest lead at 10 points with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter. There were 11 ties and six lead changes throughout the match.
Senior guard Belle Lanpher shined for the Blue Devils in her second game back from injury. She had a game-high 27 points, dished out four assists and grabbed seven rebounds. She had an efficient game shooting 60% from the field and behind the three-point line. Junior forward Alonna Sellers finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
In the first quarter, Lanpher started off hot, posting nine points, an assist and two rebounds. CCSU held Dartmouth to 29.4% from the field and 12.5% from three. Despite the poor shooting, the Big Green found themselves only down by three points at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was a low-scoring affair, with only 20 points being scored and both teams combining for seven made field goals. The Blue Devils turned the ball over seven times, and the Big Green turned it over five times. Lanpher drilled a three with 1:24 remaining, which gave CCSU a 27-22 lead going into halftime.
Dartmouth exploded in the third quarter, outscoring the Blue Devils 21-13. Central saw their lead vanish and found themselves down three going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was the highest-scoring quarter of the game, with both teams combining for 37 total points. With two seconds remaining and the Big Green leading 60-56, Lanpher knocked down a three to make it a one-point game. Dartmouth would then go to the foul line where they made one of their two attempts and increased their lead to two. The Blue Devils could not get a last-second shot off, resulting in a 61-59 win for Dartmouth.
The Blue Devils could not get the win despite leading in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage and rebounds. CCSU struggled to find scoring production off the bench, only having five points while Dartmouth had 19.
With the defeat, Central drops its fourth-straight game and falls to 1-11 on the season. They’ll be on the road for their next game against Boston College at Conte Forum on Friday, Dec. 20. The Blue Devils will look to get their second win of the season and their first win on the road.
