The women’s basketball squad from Central Connecticut State (1-9) aims to secure a victory on Saturday afternoon as they prepare to face the Morgan State University Bears (4-7) at Detrick Gymnasium. Central approaches this matchup following two defeats in Ohio, losing to Cincinnati on Tuesday with a score of 78-49 and falling 65-38 to Dayton […]
The women’s basketball squad from Central Connecticut State (1-9) aims to secure a victory on Saturday afternoon as they prepare to face the Morgan State University Bears (4-7) at Detrick Gymnasium. Central approaches this matchup following two defeats in Ohio, losing to Cincinnati on Tuesday with a score of 78-49 and falling 65-38 to Dayton on Sunday. CCSU achieved their last home triumph the day after Thanksgiving, defeating the University of Bridgeport 66-25.
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The all-time series between these two teams is led by the Bears, 2-1. Last season, Morgan State earned a close 68-65 victory when both teams competed in Baltimore. CCSU’s sole win in the series occurred during the 2018-19 season when they secured a 60-36 win on the road.
A REVIEW OF THE CINCINNATI MATCHUP …
• Graduate student Meghan Kenefick contributed 15 points, just shy of her career-high established at UMass earlier this season, along with six rebounds, while freshman Jessica Farrell achieved a personal best with 10 points on Tuesday. However, it wasn’t sufficient as the Blue Devils concluded a challenging two-game road trip in Ohio with a non-conference loss of 78-49 against the University of Cincinnati, a Big 12 institution. Amaya Williams narrowly missed being part of a trio of double-digit scorers for CCSU, finishing with nine points versus the Bearcats.
• Central was nearly flawless at the free-throw line on Tuesday, making 9-of-10 attempts, whereas Cincinnati capitalized with a significant advantage, converting 31-of-38 from the charity stripe.
EXAMINING THE OPPONENT …
• The Morgan State Bears, members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), enter Saturday’s game with a 4-7 overall record following a 79-57 defeat to Sacred Heart on Thursday. Currently on a four-game losing streak after the SHU loss, their latest win was an 85-45 victory against Washington Adventist University on November 20.
• Junior Ja’la Bannerman spearheads Morgan State’s scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game, having scored 17 points on Thursday.
• Fellow junior Jael Butler added 16 points at Sacred Heart, with an average of 9.7 points per game.
• Senior Lalia Fair leads the Bears in rebounding, averaging 8.5 boards per game.
• As a unit, Morgan State averages 59.5 points and 36.6 rebounds per game, while allowing their opponents to score an average of 66.8 points and concede 38.1 rebounds per game.
• The Bears are under the guidance of ninth-year head coach Ed Davis, Jr., who reached his 100th career win earlier this season. Last year, Morgan State recorded an overall record of 8-22 and a conference record of 3-11.
OTHER NOTES …
• CCSU’s preseason ranking of number two in the Northeast Conference Coaches’ Poll marks the highest in program history.
• Graduate student Meghan Kenefick leads the Blue Devils in scoring, averaging 10.5 points over ten games, and ranks second in rebounding with an average of 5.0 boards per game. Meghan goes into Saturday’s contest with a career total of 480 rebounds, just 20 away from reaching 500.
• Freshman Dagny Slomack is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.6 points per game ahead of the clash with Morgan State.
• Classmate Selina Monestime closely follows with an average of 9.0 points per game while pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team.
• Junior Alonna Sellers currently leads CCSU in rebounding for the 2024-25 season, with an average of 6.4 rebounds per contest, also contributing 8.1 points per game.
• Six student-athletes have participated in all 10 of Central’s games this season, with senior Amaya Williams being the only player to start every game. Amaya has shown remarkable accuracy at the free-throw line, hitting 12 of her 13 attempts, translating to a 92.3 percent success rate.
• Overall, the Blue Devils are averaging 53.7 points per game while allowing opponents to score 70.1 points per outing. On the boards, Central captures an average of 33.3 rebounds per game, while opposing teams average 40.7 rebounds.
LOOKING AHEAD …
• After a lengthy break from competitive play, Central will resume action on Monday, December 16, when Dartmouth visits New Britain for CCSU’s last home game of 2024. The game is slated for 11:00 a.m. at Detrick Gymnasium. Meanwhile, Morgan State will begin participation in the Puerto Rico Classic on Wednesday, December 18, facing Presbyterian at 10:30 a.m.
