By Carmine Vetrano
“Overcome adversity.” Those words were said to me when I first met with CCSU’s head women’s basketball coach Beryl Piper in our interview before the start of the 2009-10 season.
Heading into this years campaign, the women’s team had high hopes and was considered a top contender in the NEC. Now, they’re looking to remain in the conference’s playoff picture, and overcome this seasons adversity.
It is always tough to live up to high expectations, especially after coming off a cinderella season which saw the best turn around in NCAA division I history, as well as birth in the Women’s NIT post season tournament.
This season though, things have not been looking promising for a team that was picked third in the preseason NEC poll. To date last year, the team was 12-7 and had two three-game winning streaks. This season, the Blue Devils are 7-11 and had a three-game losing streak. That is a tough record to see for a team with nine returning players from last year’s power squad.
The Blue Devils traded wins and losses early on in the season, but then dropped six of its last 10 games and now sit in a five team tie for 4th place in the NEC (4-4 record). The Blue Devils need to turn it around fast to solidify its place in the NEC.
However, there are bright spots for the second half of the season.
Junior forwards Leanne Crockett and Kerriane Duggan, picked for the preseason All-NEC team, lead the team in points. Duggan sits atop with 10.4 points per game, while Crockett is averaging 10.1 points per game. Both have played and started in all 18 contests for the Blue Devils.
Other bright spots so far have been the presence of junior forward Justina Udenze who is averaging 7.9 points per game and 5.8 rebounds in the paint. Also, with the absence of sophomore guard Shontice Simmons who has been suspended by the team indefinitely, sophomore guard Alexzandria Dowdy has been an anchor up top running the Blue Devils offense. She is averaging 6.6 points per game, has a total of 38 assists and leads the team with 37 steals.
Freshman guard/forward Brook Bailey has been a fresh breather of air coming off the bench in her first season as a Blue Devil, as she is shooting .375 percent from the field while playing in 13.1 minutes per game.
To kick off the second half, the Blue Devils reached a personal goal by beating Quinnipiac University in overtime 78-70 on the road for the first time in 19 tries – the team just put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
The Blue Devils need to remain consistent and play with that confidence that they had last season.
With all the tools from last year’s squad, and that huge win over QU, the Blue Devils will get back to that dominant stature – and overcome the adversity.
