Bulldogs host FDU Sat. looking for fourth-straight win

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FULL GAME NOTES

ON TAP AT THE CHACE ATHLETIC CENTER
The Bryant University women's basketball team looks for its fourth-straight victory when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson, Saturday at 1 p.m., in the first leg of a Bulldog basketball doubleheader.

THE SERIES
Saturday marks the 11th all-time meeting between Bryant the Fairleigh Dickinson with the Bulldogs holding a 6-4 series lead. The Black and Gold have taken the last three matchups, including a pair during the 2013-14 season. Last year, Bryant took down FDU in a pair of double digit victories, including an 81-51 rout in Teaneck, N.J, in February.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Fairleigh Dickinson enters Saturday's contest with a 3-10 overall record looking to snap a five-game skid dating back to Dec. 21. With wins coming against Manhattan, Army, and Saint Peter's, the Knights most recently dropped a 72-55 decision at Columbia on Wednesday. In Northeast Conference play, FDU ran into a red-hot Central Connecticut team in last weekend's league opener, falling 82-53, before coming up just short at LIU Brooklyn on Monday, 81-71.

The Knights boast two of the top scorers in the conference in juniors Kelsey Cruz (18.0 ppg) and Erika Livermore (16.7 ppg), ranking third and fourth, respectively. Livermore, who missed the entire 2013-14 season due to injury, has returned to top form, grabbing 10 rebounds per contest, as well, in just under 32 minutes a game.  Senior point guard Amanda Andrades rounds out the Knights' double-digit scorers at 10.3 ppg and ranks first in the league in assists per game dishing out nearly six helpers per contest.

FDU's 64 ppg as a team is fourth best among NEC teams and its .401 field goal defense is second best in the league. However, despite Livermore's success on the glass, as a team the Knights struggle to rebound the basketball, ranking eighth in the conference in rebounds allowed per game (43.9) and sixth in rebounding margin (-3.5).

2-0 AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
The Black and Gold have opened NEC play with back-to-back wins for the second-straight season, a feat that was first accomplished in 2013-14. Bryant has never opened league play at the Division I level a perfect 3-0 and will look to do so vs. FDU on Saturday for the first time in program history.

GOING STREAKING
With three-straight wins over the past week, the Bulldogs have put together their third three-game win streak of the season. Bryant will look to improve its streak to four games for the first time since 2013-14.

JENNIQUA BOUNCES BACK
After struggling earlier in the week, senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey put together one the best games of her career in Monday's victory at St. Francis Brooklyn, scoring 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field and 9-of-13 from the free throw line. Bailey has scored 20+ points in four games this season and currently leads Bryant with 14.9 points per game.

WINDEX
Always among the top rebounding teams in the Northeast Conference, Bryant once against sits at the top in almost every rebounding category in the league rankings. Outrebounding opponents by an average margin of 6.6 rpg (first in NEC), the Bulldogs have outrebounded the opposition in 12 of 13 games this season.

Junior forward Breanna Rucker has been a key component to the Bulldogs' success on boards, grabbing double-digit rebounds in each of the last six games. Rucker currently ranks first in conference with 11 rpg and has secured 10+ boards in 11 out of 13 games this season.

WINDER GETTIN' BUCKETS
Junior guard Tiersa Winder enjoyed a fantastic week, averaging 17 points per game during Bryant's three-game win streak. Through 13 games this season, Winder has hit double digits in scoring 11 times, ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg, and is averaging career-highs in every statistical category.

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 five of the first seven weeks. Most recently, Ivory Bailey picked up her fourth NEC weekly honor after garner Rookie of the Week accolades. Last season, Bryant did not receive a single NEC weekly honor.

HOME SWEET HOME
After playing eight of its first 13 games on the road, the Bulldogs return to Smithfield for five of the next six contests. Bryant is 4-1 at the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center so far this season.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey became the 22nd player in Bryant women's hoops history to score her 1,000th career point on Dec. 31 at UNH, and just the third to do so all at the Division I level. Bailey, who currently ranks third in scoring in Bryant DI history, now needs just 250 points to become the programs all-time DI leading scorer, a mark currently held by Naana Ankoma-Mensa (1,282).

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 18 in the Northeast Conference in scoring, making Bryant the lone team to accomplish that feat.

FIRST OF THE MONTH
With the Bulldogs' 79-66 win at LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, Bryant has now recorded victories in each of its first games starting a new month this season. Previously, the Black and Gold had picked up victories over Maine to begin November and Holy Cross to open December.

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, currently at 107 career games, 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.