Central Connecticut State University women’s basketball guard Belle Lanpher was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year on Monday, March 10. Lanpher, who on the same day was also named to the All-NEC First Team and All-Defensive Team, is the first women’s basketball player in CCSU history to win the award.  

Despite missing the first 10 games of the season, Lanpher has scored the eighth most points in a season in school history, with 430 and counting. In the games she’s played this season, Lanpher averaged 22.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting an efficient 40.7 percent from 3-point range. She was rarely benched and averaged 37.9 minutes per game.

Lanpher helped lead the Blue Devils to a third-place finish in the NEC regular season with a 10-6 record, securing home-court advantage for CCSU in the first round of the conference tournament for the first time since 2015. 

The highlight of her season came in a 62-55 win against the Wagner Seahawks on Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Spiro Sports Center. She scored a season-high 37 points, grabbed nine rebounds and shot 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, helping the Blue Devils win their third game in a row.  

Lanpher will look to win her first NEC Tournament game on Monday, March 10, against the Chicago State Cougars at Detrick Gymnasium. The Blue Devils split the season series 1-1 against the Cougars. Lanpher averaged 24 points, 7.5 rebounds and seven assists per game in the matchups.