Gaziano Nets 27, Women’s Basketball Beats CCSU in First Road Game, 83-73

Thursday, November 14

New Britain, Conn.

7:00 PM

Brown University

2-1,0-0Ivy League

Central Connecticut State

0-3,0-0NEC

Brown

Central Conn. St.

Gaziano Nets 27, Women’s Basketball Beats CCSU in First Road Game, 83-73

11/14/2019 9:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Senior guard Justine Gaziano scored 27 points, sophomore guard Maddie Mullin netted 15 points, and Brown University women's basketball beat Central Connecticut State University, 83-73, on Thursday night at Detrick Gymnasium.

Playing in their first road game of the season, the Bears (2-1) used a 13-2 run in the fourth quarter, turning a 67-65 lead with 7:32 to go into an 80-67 edge with 2:57 left on their way to the win over the host Blue Devils (0-3).

"I'm really proud of the team – this was a great road win against a very athletic team," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We had good balanced scoring. Everyone that came in off the bench did positive things. We're developing some personnel options and some confidence. It was another step forward."

Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) scored her 27 points on 10-of-15 field goals and 2-of-5 3-pointers, while grabbing five rebounds. She scored in double figures for the 70^th time in her career and eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the 31^st time in her career.

Gaziano now has 152 career made 3-pointers, moving into fifth place all-time at Brown and passing Erika Steeves '19. She now has 509 career made field goals, tying for eighth place in program history with Nyema Mitchell '04.

Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) netted her 15 points on 6-of-9 field goals and 3-of-5 treys, while chipping in three rebounds and three assists. She posted her first career game in double figures against a Division I opponent.

Junior guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) registered 10 points and two assists, scoring in double figures for the second straight game and sixth time in her career.

Sophomore forward Ashley Ducharme (Milton, Mass.) approached a double-double with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and 10 rebounds for her first career game with double-digit boards.

Freshman guard Lexi Love (Oakland, Calif.) dished out a game and career-high nine assists. Sophomore forward Alana Kelley (Phoenix, Ariz.) chipped in five points and five boards, and freshman forward Fiona Finn (West Roxbury, Mass.) tacked on six points on 3-of-3 shooting.

For the game, Brown held significant advantages in rebounds (41-20) and points in the paint (44-16). The Bears shot 55.4 percent from the field and limited CCSU to 37.3-percent shooting.

The Bears took a 15-13 lead with 1:57 to go in the first quarter as Gaziano scored six points, Mullin connected on a wing 3-pointer, and Leonidas converted a 3-point play. Freshman guard Sydney Rosant (Foster City, Ga.) netted the Bears final four points of the frame, as the two teams finished the quarter tied 19-19.

A driving layup from Finn and five points from Gaziano pushed Brown ahead 28-23 at the 6:54 mark of the second quarter. A jumper from Kelley prior to a pair of layups from Ducharme kept the Bears in the lead 36-34 with 3:05 to go in the half. Baskets from Finn, Ducharme, Kelley, and senior center Haley Green (Salem, Va.) gave the Bears a 44-40 advantage at the break.

In the first half, the Bears held a 24-8 edge in points in the paint and connected on 18-of-35 field goals (51.4 percent). CCSU countered with 50.0-pecent shooting from the field and 54.5-percent shooting from 3-point distance (6-of-11). Neither team held a lead larger than two possessions in the opening 20 minutes.

After Brown pushed ahead 48-40 early in the third quarter, CCSU used a 12-4 spurt to tie the game at 52-52 with 5:35 left in the frame despite four points from Leonidas. The Bears answered with a 7-0 run, including four points from Gaziano, to re-gain a 59-52 edge. A wing 3-pointer from Gaziano closed the stanza's scoring and pushed Brown ahead 64-59.

Following a basket that brought CCSU within 67-65 with 7:32 remaining, Brown countered with a 13-2 run to pull ahead 80-67 with 2:57 to play, Ducharme started the run with a basket, and Mullin catalyzed the run with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

For CCSU, Emma McCamus scored a game-high 30 points, Ashley Berube posted 14 points and eight rebounds, and Ashley Forker added 13 points and four assists.

Next, Brown plays at Longwood on Saturday, Nov. 16 at noon (ESPN+).

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.