Bulldogs host Wagner in big NEC showdown Monday at 5 pm

Watch: NECfrontrow.com
Live Stats: bryantbulldogs.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday

FULL GAME NOTES

ON TAP AT THE CHACE ATHLETIC CENTER
The Bryant University women's basketball team will look to get back on track after dropping a tough decision at Central Connecticut on Saturday when it welcomes Wagner to Smithfield for the first of two matchups with the Seahawks, Monday at 5 p.m.

THE SERIES
The Bulldogs enter Monday's showdown with a commanding 8-1 lead over the Seahawks in the all-time series, however the two teams split last year's games with Wagner getting the best of the Black and Gold in Smithfield last February. In that game, Wagner's two-headed monster comprised of Jasmine Nwajei and Jordyn Peck combined for 48 points, while Lindsay Rowe chipped in 13 as the Seahawks ran away with a 78-64 victory. In the two games vs. the Seahawks last season, Jenniqua Bailey averaged 19.5 points and six assists per game with Breanna Rucker adding 13 ppg and 8.5 rebounds per contest.

SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
After enduring a difficult 0-9 start which included games against #8 Maryland, #17 Rutgers, St. John's, Penn State, and VCU, Wagner has finally began to find its footing, posting a 4-3 overall record since a Dec. 14 overtime loss at Vermont. The Seahawks enter Monday's showdown in Smithfield with a 2-3 mark against Northeast Conference opponents, coming off a last-second loss at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday.

The Seahawks are led by one of the most dynamic scorers in the league in sophomore point guard Jasmine Nwajei. The 2013-14 NEC Rookie of the Year ranks second in the NEC in scoring at 22.7 ppg to go along with a team-high 3.9 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. Her sidekick, and Wagner's second leading scorer, is junior guard Jordyn Peck, who puts up 14.6 ppg and shoots the 3 at a 29 percent clip. Sophomore Lyndsay Rowe rounds out the Seahawks leading scorers with 7.2 ppg and 45 percent shooting from 3-point range. The trio all averaged over 32 minutes per game and account for 70 percent of Wagner's offense and 66 percent of its shots.

The Seahawks average just under 64 points per game (sixth in NEC) and have been outscored by an average of nearly 15 points a game (ninth in NEC).

BRING ON MONDAY
The Bulldogs enter tonight's contest with a 2-0 overall record on Monday with previous victories at St. Francis Brooklyn (Jan. 5) and vs. Saint Francis U. (Jan. 12).

BRYANT SWEEPS NEC WEEKLY AWARDS
Riding another 2-0 weekend, the Bulldogs swept the Northeast Conference weekly awards this Tuesday (Jan. 13) with junior Breanna Rucker earning Player of the Week honor and freshman Ivory Bailey snatching the Rookie of the Week nod. Rucker's second POW honor comes off arguably the best week of her career where she averaged 23.5 ppg and 16 rpg, while Bailey continues to rack up the rookie honors, garnering her fourth such selection with 15.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 3 apg.

RUCKIN' N ROLLIN'
Junior forward Breanna Rucker has been an absolute beast for the Black and Gold this season, posting a career-high 28 points and 16 rebounds in just 27 minutes of action on Jan. 12 vs. Saint Francis U. Rucker currently ranks first in the NEC and eighth in the country in rebounding (11.5 rpg), seventh in scoring (15.6 ppg) and ninth in FG percentage (.449). Rucker's 13 games of 10+ boards also is tops among league opponents.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Rucker's career-high 12 double doubles through 16 games this season ranks fourth best in the country, and gives her a total of 22 double dips in her career. Naana Ankoma Mensa ('14) holds the Bryant Division I record for double doubles in a career with 43 and double dips in a season with 18 (2012-13).

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 7.9 rpg (first in NEC), the Bulldogs have outrebounded the opposition in 14 of 16 contests this season.

In the Jan. 12 victory over Saint Francis U., the Bulldogs grabbed a season-high 56 rebounds, outboarding the Red Flash by a margin of 30, also a season-high. Led by Breanna Rucker's 16 boards, all five starters recorded at least seven caroms, including a career-high 10 from junior guard Tiersa Winder.

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 six of the first eight weeks. Most recently, junior Breanna Rucker (POW) and freshman Ivory Bailey (ROW) swept the league's weekly awards. Last season, Bryant did not receive a single NEC weekly honor.

HOME SWEET HOME
After playing eight of its first 13 games away, the Bulldogs return to Smithfield for the next three contests (Wagner, Sacred Heart, LIU Brooklyn) before heading out for six of next eight on the road . Bryant is 6-1 at the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center so far this season.

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.