EMMITSBURG, Md. - Mary Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) paced the Mount with 11 points to lead Mount St. Mary's past Central Connecticut State 55-45 in Northeast Conference (NEC) women's basketball action on Thursday.

Dunn went 4-for-5 from the foul line and connected on three field goals including a 3-pointer for her 11 points. It marked the 15th time this season the junior has recorded a double-figure point performance.

Leah Westbrooks (Dublin, Ireland/Holy Faith Secondary) added nine points and seven rebounds for the Mount (9-16, 5-10 NEC) while Sydney Henderson (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds and four assists. The balance offensive attack also had eight points apiece from Lauren Howell (Quinton, N.J./Sacred Heart) and Jamie Halloran (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights).

Kerrianne Dugan fueled the Blue Devils (9-16, 6-9 NEC) with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Justina Udenze added 12 points and nine boards and Leanne Crockett posted 10 points and eight caroms in the loss.

Mount St. Mary's took the lead midway through the first half and held on after a furious Central Connecticut State comeback attempt to end a four-game losing streak and keep hopes alive of making its 21st-straight NEC Tournament.

With the score tied at 6, Westbrooks gave the Mount the lead it would not relinquish on a layup at 11:19 to start a 20-5 run. Howell then nailed a 3-pointer to increase the advantage to 11-6 with 10:38 on the clock.

The Blue Devils answered with three unanswered points on a free throw by Udenze and a layup by Dugan to trim the margin to 11-9 with 9:51 left in the stanza.

The Mountaineers scored the next 12 points and 15 of the next 17 points to grab a 15-point advantage. Dunn started the spurt with a 3-pointer at 8:26 before Westbrooks scored in the lane at 8:26. After Henderson nailed a 3-pointer to give Mount St. Mary's its first double-figure lead, Howell and Westbrooks scored in the lane to hand the Mount a 23-9 margin with 4:13 remaining.

Udenze momentarily halted the run with a layup at 3:28, but Howell drilled a trey at 3:11 to give the Mount a 26-11 advantage. The Blue Devils cut it to nine points twice in the final three minutes, but Henderson nailed a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to give Mount St. Mary's a 31-19 lead going into locker room.

Sparked by five points apiece from Crockett and Udenze, Central Connecticut State used a 16-3 run in the first 10 minutes and 32 seconds of the second half to cut the deficit to 35-34. Udenze made it a one-point game with her layup at the 9:28 mark.

The Mountaineers answered when Westbrooks hit the second of two free throws at 8:42 and Dunn hit a jumper at 6:35 for a 38-34 edge. Udenze answered with a basket in the paint at 6:07 before Halloran hit a turnaround jumper at 4:53. Dugan trim the margin to three points by hitting the second of two charity tosses at 4:19, but Halloran scored in the lane at 4:05 and Dunn hit two free throws at 3:16 for a 44-37 advantage.

Dugan nailed a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 44-40, but Halloran started a 6-0 run with a layup at the 2:39 mark and the Blue Devils could get no closer the rest of the way.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Saturday against Bryant. Game time is 3 p.m. The Mount will be participating in the WBCA's "PinkZone" for the third-straight season. During the Mountaineers contests against the Bulldogs, fans who wear pink and donate $2 to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund will get admitted to the game for free. Mount St. Mary's will be raffling off a pink basketball autographed by the Mount's women's basketball team with the proceeds going to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.