Bulldogs battle River Hawks, Weds. (5:30 pm) in Lowell

Watch: AmericaEast.TV
Live Stats: GoRiverHawks.com
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FULL GAME NOTES

ON TAP AT THE COSTELLO ATHLETIC CENTER
The Bryant University women's basketball team will look to get back on track after a tough loss at Cornell on Saturday when they visit UMass Lowell Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. showdown. 

THE SERIES
Wednesday night's contest will mark the second meeting between the two schools since UMass Lowell joined the Division I ranks just a season ago. Last year, the Bulldogs handled their old NE-10 foe with ease behind five double-digit scorers en route to a 100-52 victory at the Chace Athletic Center. Dating back to the DII days, Bryant holds a 20-11 all-time series lead over the River Hawks, including wins in the last six matchups.

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
After winning just five games in its first season at the Division I level in 2013-14, UMass Lowell is off to a great start in 2014-15, entering Wednesday's game vs. Bryant with a 4-4 overall record. After getting off to a 0-3 start, the River Hawks won three in-a-row, most recently taking down Yale, 80-72, Monday evening.

Senior guard Shannon Samuels leads her team with 14.3 ppg and 4.0 apg in seven starts this season, while classmate Jasmine McRoy has put up 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in in under 28 minutes per game. Freshman Kayla Gibbs has put together a strong start to her rookie season, rounding out the double-digit scorers at 10.4 ppg to go along with 3.2 rpg. The River Hawks have nine players that have seen action in at least seven contests with seven players seeing at least 15 minutes of action per game.

LAST TIME OUT
In true dramatic fashion, the Bryant University women's basketball team fell just short, to Cornell on a last second jumper 66-64, Saturday afternoon at Newman Arena.

With time winding down, Cornell ran a pick-and-pop between Christine Kline and Nicholle Aston, setting up an Aston 16-footer to give the Big Red (4-4) a 66-64 lead with 4.3 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) took the ball the length of the court and laid it in with time expiring but the shot was too late, resulting in a 66-64 Cornel victory.

Freshman guard Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) led the Bulldogs (6-2) with 18 points and six rebounds, while junior forward Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) posted yet another double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in just 28 minutes of action.

Jenniqua Bailey put together a captain-worthy performance, putting up 12 points, a career-high nine assists, five rebounds and four steals, while junior guard Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) rounded out the Bryant double digit scorers with 12 points. Sophomore center Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) finished with nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Cornell's Nia Marshall led all scorers with 19 points, while Megan LeDuc and Kline finished with 17 points and 16 points, respectively.

DROPPIN' DIMES
Senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey dished out a career-high nine assists on Dec. 6 at Cornell and currently ranks first in the Northeast Conference in assists per game with 6.0. The senior needs just 68 assists to get 400 for her career.

OH THE IVORY
Freshman guard Ivory Bailey has quickly established herself as not only one of the top rookies in the Northeast Conference, but one of the top scorers in the league, averaging 18.5 ppg during the last week. The reigning NEC Player and Rookie of the Week currently ranks 11th in the NEC in scoring (11.9 ppg) in just under 29 minutes per contest.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
The Bryant women's basketball program has been well represented on the Northeast Conference weekly awards this season with a Bulldog earning either Player of the Week or Rookie of the Week honors in each of the first four weeks. Most recently, Ivory Bailey's 18.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 3.0 spg vs. Holy Cross and Cornell earned her the dual honor of Player and Rookie of the Week. Last season, Bryant did not receive a single NEC weekly honor.

SHOOTING WOES? SAYS WHO?
The Bulldogs have been outshot from the field percentage wise in seven of eight games this season, yet they post a record of 5-2 in those games. The lone game Bryant outshot its opponent was the season opener vs. Maine (Nov. 14) in which the Black and Gold shot .404 compared to Maine's .382.

STARTING FIVE
All five Bulldog starters (Jenniqua Bailey, Tiersa Winder, Ivory Bailey, Breanna Rucker, and Morgan Olander) are averaging at least 10 points per game enter Wednesday's game and all rank in the top 15 in the Northeast Conference in scoring, making Bryant the lone team to accomplish that feat.

WINDEX
Always among the top rebounding teams in the Northeast Conference, Bryant once against sits near the top in almost every rebounding category in the NEC rankings. Outrebounding opponents by an average margin of 7.6 rpg (first in NEC), the Bulldogs have outrebounded the opposition in all eight games this season, averaging nearly 42 rpg.

BAILEY DROPS 35
Senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey put up a career-high 35 points on 11-of-14 shooting in Sunday's win over Providence College. The 35 points marks the most since Courtney Schissler's 36 points at Saint Francis U. on Jan. 13, 2014 and is tied for the fifth most points in a single game in program history.

EARNING 'EM AT THE LINE
After going 13-of-18 from the free throw line in the Nov. 30 win over PC, Jenniqua Bailey enters Wednesday's contest 58-of-84 from the charity stripe on the season. Last season, Bailey set a Division I program record for free throws made and attempted (117-170) in a season and is currently on pace to go 210-for-304 this year.

MILESTONE WATCH
Averaging 16.5 points per game this season, senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey enters Wednesday's contest needing just 29 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Bailey would become the 22nd player in program history to reach the milestone and just the third to do so all at the Division I level.

WELCOME TO THE CENTURY CLUB
Senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey appeared in her 100th career game on Nov. 30 vs. PC, becoming just the eighth player in Division I program history to do so. Bailey is within reach of breaking the all-time program record for games played in a career (121), a mark currently held by Dede Fogarty (2001-05).

TICKET TO THE RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are still available for the 2014-15 men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-519-TIXX.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference have partnered with Pack Network to create NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts in 2014-15. Visit www.NECFrontRow.com for more information and a schedule of events.