Seniors Lead Way In 86-75 Senior Day Win For Women's Basketball

The Central Connecticut women's basketball team gave its senior class a proper sendoff, earning an 86-75 victory over visiting NEC member Chicago State, Saturday afternoon in Kaiser Hall. 

Lucia Noin and Kiyah Lewis scored 25 points apiece as the Blue Devil offense shot 54.9 percent from the field. The Blue Devils shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the second-half. Cierra Pearson flirted with a triple double, scoring 11 points, collecting nine steals and nine rebounds. Nicora Patrick scored 10 points as well in the victory. 

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE 

Score:  CCSU 86, Chicago State 75 
Records: CCSU (1-25, 1-14 NEC), Chicago State (8-20, 7-8 NEC) 
Location: Kaiser Hall | New Britain, CT 

KEY MOMENTS  

• The squads traded baskets in the opening minute of play, before the Cougars rattled off six straight in a 36 second stretch to take the 8-2 advantage. The Blue Devils answered right back, with six straight of their own, capped at 5:37 mark by a Lewis layup, tying the score. Chicago state scored the next four and opened a 17-12 lead on a fast break three with 75 seconds left in the quarter. Nicora Patrick and Lewis scored two each on the next possessions and a hoop at the buzzer from Keona McGee gave the Cougars a 19-16 edge. 

• The Cougars briefly led by five early in the second quarter, but the Blue Devils six points from Lewis, around a Cougar free throw, brought Central level at the 7:23 mark, 22-22. Just more than 3:00 later, Lewis made the second of two free throws to give Central its first lead, 27-26. Neither team led by more than three for the remainder of the half. Pearson made a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to give Central a 35-33 advantage, but McKee drained a three on the next possession to give Chicago State a 36-35 halftime advantage. 

• Noin's opening shot of the second-half may have served as an omen of things to come, as it rolled around the rim five times, before falling through as the Blu Devils scored the first five points of the half to get out to a 40-36 lead less than a minute into the period. The Cougars scored six straight points in the next 54 seconds to retake the lead, 42-40, and forced a CCSU timeout. 

• A Noin baseline fade-away at the 6:42 mark tied the score, but it would take another minute until Mia Toure converted a traditional three-point play to give Central its next lead 48-47. 

• The Cougars scored seven of the next nine points to build a 54-50 edge with 2:53 remaining in the quarter. It would be their last multi-possession advantage of the game. 

• Trinity Barnes and Patrick started the Blue Devils run with free throws and Christa Ramos tied the game with going coast-to-coast with 2:07 to play in the quarter. Lewis battled through contact a minute later for a 56-54 edge. The Cougars tied the game for the last time on a pair of M&&& Gant free throws, that Lewis answered with 26 seconds left. Pearson ended the quarter with a block of a Kyara Champagne three-point attempt to give the Blue Devils a 58-56 advantage entering the final period. 

• The sides traded three pointers in the opening 93 seconds of the fourth quarter, and that 60-59 was the closest the Blue Devils would let Chicago State get the remainder of the game. Lewis scored in the paint and then hit two free throws after a flagrant foul pushing the advantage to 64-59. That started a run over the next four minutes, that was capped by a Patrick three pointer with 3:20 to play that gave the Blue Devils their largest lead to that point, 73-64 

• That advantage was still nine, 78-96, when the Cougars fouled for the first time with 97 seconds remaining. The Blue Devils hit 8-12 from the line, 5-6 by Noin, as they pushed their lead to 11 points 70 second later to secure the win 

NUMBER TO KNOW   

86 – The most points scored by the Blue Devils this season 

NOTES  

• Pearson, the lone four-year senior on the roster, equaled career-highs in both rebounds and steals on Saturday 

• Noin had her fifth game of 24 or more points this season, shooting 8-15 from the field 

• Lewis tallied her third game of 24 or more points with her 25 in the win and shot a 50 percent from the field, to go along with seven boards and three assists 

• The Blue Devils were 8-13 from the field in both the third and fourth quarter of the game, with seven assists, six steals and two blocked shots, as they scored 51 points 

• Patrick shot 4-7 from the field to record her 10 points and had five boards to equal a career-high 

• Trinity Barnes started and scored a season-best six points 

• Central shot a season-best 54.9 percent from the field on Saturday, hitting 28-51, and had 14 assists 

• The game featured 14 ties and nine lead changes 

• Both teams had four players in double figures 

• Noin handed out four assists, while Lewis and Pearson added three apiece 

UP NEXT  

• The Blue Devils make their final road swing of the regular season, travelling to Mercyhurst on Thursday and playing at Saint Francis on Saturday,