Game #19 vs. Central Connecticut State University (NEC)
Info: Saturday, January 25 | New Britain, Conn. | 1:00 p.m. | Detrick Gymnasium
Watch: NEC Front Row .... Live Stats: ccsubluedevils.com
Le Moyne Radio: Fox Sports 1490 AM & 92.5 FM (foxsports1490.com)
CCSU Links: Schedule | Roster | News | Stats 

New Britain, Conn. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will conclude its January slate with a conference matchup at Central Connecticut State University on Saturday inside CCSU's Detrick Gymnasium.

The contest is set to tip-off at 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on NEC Front Row. Fans can also tune into the Le Moyne radio broadcast for pregame, in-game and postgame coverage on Fox Sports 1490 AM & 92.5 FM and at foxsports1490.com.

Matchup History:
Le Moyne and Central Connecticut State met for the first time in women's basketball during Le Moyne's debut season in the NEC in 2023-24. Le Moyne won both regular season contests between the two sides, claiming a 57-44 victory at Ted Grant Court in January, followed by a 69-54 win in New Britain a little less than a month later. During the win in Syracuse, Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) knocked down four threes to finish the contest with 13 points, then Linnin and Haedyn Roberts (Holland Patent, N.Y./Holland Patent) each scored in double figures during the rematch at CCSU to help the Dolphins register the regular season sweep.

Dolphin Rundown:
Le Moyne will travel to Connecticut following back-to-back thrilling conference victories at home. On January 18, the Dolphins erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit against Chicago State University to record a 77-71 victory over the Cougars in overtime, which marked the team's first NEC win of the season and the program's first victory under head coach Nick DiPillo.

During the win, Linnin tallied a career-high 28 points and tied a single game program record with seven made three-point field goals. Roberts provided 21 points and 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season. Rookie guard Eli Clark (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) distributed a season-high 10 assists in addition to nine points, while senior forward Brianna Williams (Brampton, Ontario/Southwest Academy/Hartford) pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds and scored 13 points with the help of a career-high seven made free throws to record her first double-double of the season and her third as a Dolphin.

The win marked just the second time in the last 20 seasons that two Le Moyne players scored 20-plus points, and two players recorded double-doubles in the same game. The last time two Le Moyne players recorded a double-double in the same game was during the 2022-23 campaign, when Roberts and Lytoya Baker recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds, and 10 points and 13 rebounds, respectively, during a win over Southern New Hampshire. The last time Le Moyne had two 20-point scorers in the same game was in the team's WNIT Postseason contest against Niagara last season, when Linnin and Sydney Lusher both recorded 22 points.

The Dolphins followed up the dramatic overtime victory against CSU with a 69-67 win on Monday against Stonehill, which entered the contest with a perfect 4-0 conference record. Linnin made two free throws to tie the game at 67-67 with 22 seconds remaining, then graduate guard Megan Bodziony (Wakefield, R.I./St. Andrew's School/Fordham/Bryant) drove to the hoop and scored the winning basket with two seconds remaining to lift the Dolphins to their fifth straight victory over the Skyhawks dating back to the 2021-22 season.

Bodziony shot 8-of-13 from the field, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line to finish the contest with a career-high 21 points in 36 minutes played. The victory over Stonehill also marked the first time this season that Le Moyne had four players score in double figures, as Linnin and Roberts contributed 13 points each, and Williams added 10 points.

Le Moyne's 77 points scored against CSU marked a new season high, while the team's 69 points against Stonehill are the second-most points scored by the 'Phins in a game this season.

The Dolphins are attacking the basket and getting to the line with consistency so far in conference play, as they are averaging an NEC-leading 21 free throw attempts through five league matchups. Le Moyne is also limiting its opponents to a league-best 9.2 free throws per conference game.

The Dolphins are third in the NEC in three-point field goals made (6.4), steals (7.2) and blocks (2.4) per conference game.

Linnin is currently second in the NEC in made threes per conference game with 2.8, while Clark is second in assists with 4.4 and Williams is third in blocks (1.0) and offensive rebounds (3.0) and tied for fifth in total rebounds (7.0).

On the year, Roberts leads the Dolphins in points (10.4) and rebounds (6.3) per game, and has scored in double figures a team-high nine times, including each of the team's last four games.

Through five conference games, Roberts (13.0), Linnin (11.8) and Bodziony (10.0) are each averaging at least 10 points per game.

Scouting the Blue Devils:
CCSU is set to return to Detrick Gymnasium following a three-game road stand, during which they bested Wagner by a score of 62-55 before suffering a 75-58 setback at FDU and most recently an 84-77 loss at Chicago State on Thursday.

The Blue Devils dropped its NEC opener against Saint Francis on January 2, then claimed back-to-back home conference wins against Mercyhurst on the 4^th, and LIU on the 9^th.

CCSU graduate guard Belle Lanpher currently leads all NEC players in points per conference game with 24.2. She became the first player in the NEC to put up 30-plus points in back-to-back games in nearly six years when she tallied 37 points on 13-of-22 shooting during the win at Wagner, followed by 31 points on 12-of-27 shooting during the loss at FDU. She played the full 40 minutes in both contests and is averaging 37.7 minutes played in NEC play. Lanpher registered 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists last time out against Chicago State, but Aiyanna Culver tallied 33 points to lead the Cougars to victory.

Through six conference games, senior guard Amaya Williams is averaging 10.8 points and 2.8 assists per game, junior forward Alonna Sellers is providing 9.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, and graduate forward Meghan Kenefick is averaging 6.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

On the year, CCSU is second in the NEC in opponent field goal percentage (.412) and third in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.299).

In league play, the Blue Devils are first in rebounding average (38.8) and offensive rebounding average (13.5), second in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.292), free throw percentage (.779), and turnover average (14.7).

Up Next:
Following Saturday's game at CCSU, Le Moyne will begin a three-game homestand on February 1 with a 12:00 p.m. game against Wagner College. The Dolphins will then host Saint Francis on February 6 and Mercyhurst on February 8.