Bulldogs and Rams butt heads in Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament consolation game, tomorrow at 1 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - After losing to Providence in the opening game, the Bryant University Women's Basketball team will play Rhode Island in the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament consolation game, tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Brown's campus.

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES
This contest will mark the fourth meeting between the Bulldogs and Rams, as the Black and Gold will look to even the tally.

SCOUTING THE RAMS
After winning three straight, the Rams lost to Brown, 76-65, in their opening game of the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday. Sitting 4-4 on the season, URI averages 62.9 percent shooting and 6.7 less points than its competitors through the first eight games. The Rams outshoot their opponents from the field, but have struggled from the line, hitting just 54.2 percent. Although they average 41.8 rebounds per game, nearly just as much as the Bulldogs, the Rams give up 1.4 more boards to their opponents. Also in similarity to Bryant, Rhode Island has a tendency to turn the ball over, coughing it up on average 20.8 times per game.

The Rams gain a majority of their points from junior guard Charise Wilson, who averages 19.4 per game, shooting 38.8 percent from the floor, 25 percent from behind the arc and 66 percent from the line. Wilson also leads the Rams with 6.8 rebounds per game, 43 total assists and 15 total steals on the season.

OCEAN STATE TIP-OFF
The first-ever tournament will be hosted at Brown University, comprising of all Division I women's basketball programs in the 401, including URI, PC, Brown and Bryant. The tournament is set every year for the first weekend in December with the host school rotating annually. Bryant is planned to host the event in the Chace in 2019. The first round matchups will also rotate each year, as Bryant has drawn PC on Saturday. The winner of the 1 p.m. game will face off against the winner of the 3 p.m. game between URI and Brown on Sunday at 3 p.m. with the third-place contest tipping on Sunday at 1 p.m.

MENTIONABLES VS. PC
Freshman Sydney Holloway had a career-best three blocks in a career-tying 24 minutes of play. Junior Naomi Ashley managed three steals, totaling 13 on the season. Classmate Ivory Bailey led the team with 14 points, marking the 16th time in her career. Senior Morgan Olander's team-leading nine rebounds is the third time this season she has topped the category and 13th occurrence of her career. Bryant dished out a season-low eight assists, while tying its season-best five blocks in a game. 

KEYS TO THE GAME
The most important thing for the Bulldogs to do in the consolation game is to fix the mistakes they made against Providence. PC was able to limit Bryant in transition and forced them to score in the half court. If the Bulldogs aren't able to push the ball and score on the attack they need to settle in the half court and focus on shooting high percentage shots. The Black and Gold would benefit from limited unforced turnovers, especially when trying to force the ball in transition, and from working the ball around more offensively, as they finished with a season-low eight turnovers against PC. URI is a tough team on the glass and the Bulldogs will need to stay fundamental in boxing out, in order to win the battle on the boards.

GIVEAWAYS
The Bulldogs average 20.3 turnovers a game, giving up a season-high 24 against Holy Cross and New Hampshire. The Crusaders stole the ball on 17 occasions, leaving only seven Bryant giveaways, while the Bulldogs had 15 unforced errors at UNH. The Black and Gold have coughed up the ball 20+ times on four occasions, including most recently 21 turnovers against Providence. This season, the Bulldogs have given up 98 points off turnovers, allowing a season-high 21 at Rutgers. The Black and Gold tally 81 points off opponents' giveaways, including a season-high 24 against Vermont.

CHARITY STRIPE
Last year, the Bulldogs shot 71.1 percent from the line, finishing with a season-low 50.0 percent from the line at Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 11. Through the first six games of this season, the team is averaging 67.3 percent, shooting a season-low 45.5 percent at Rutgers. Bryant totals three games under 55 percent, after averaging 83.8 percent through the first two games.

L IS FOR LEARNING
The Bulldogs now face a three-game losing streak after falling to New Hampshire, Rutgers and Providence. In a humbling experience, the Bulldogs gave up a 36-minute lead against the Wildcats, resulting in a 62-60 defeat. The Black and Gold led by as much as 10 points in the start of the fourth quarter after hitting back-to-back threes, but the Wildcats continued to battle, knocking down big-time shots in the final period, before beating the Bulldogs on defense and at the line. Bryant fell by eight, 50-42, to the Scarlet Knights, after suffering two quarters in which the Bulldogs scored single-digits. Bryant's turnover woes continued against Providence and the Bulldogs' mistakes resulted in their third-straight loss.

NON-LEAGUE
Against non-league competitors in Division I play, the Bulldogs sit at 48-64, including just two winning seasons against non-conference opponents. The 2014-15 season was the last time the Bulldogs entered NEC play with a winning record, sitting at 8-5, while last year, Bryant went 4-9 to start the season. Bryant's strength of schedule has played a large role in its non-league struggles, including when Bryant played Big East member Seton Hall, America East competitor Maine and ACC opponent Boston College. The more challenging non-conference schedule continues this season with games at the Big Ten's Rutgers and the ACC's Pitt, along with similar nonleague opponents that Bryant faced last season.

QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Of the 25 periods the Bulldogs have played this season, including the overtime against Holy Cross, they have outscored their opponents on 12 occasions. In their largest quarter differential, Bryant outscored the Crusaders, 21-11, in the opening period on the contest. The Bulldogs scored a season-low four points in the third quarter at Rutgers, going just 1-for-13 from the floor. In their winning periods, the Bulldogs average 2.93 more points. In their losing periods, the Black and Gold average a deficit of 4.94 points. Through the first six games of the season, Bryant has tied their opponents in two quarters, one occurring in the first period and the other in the last.

REBOUNDING MARGIN
The Bulldogs average 10.5 more rebounds than their opposition through the first six games. The team's average places them first in the NEC and 18th nationally. In their best performance, Bryant out-rebounded Brown by 23, marking their highest rebounding differential since the 2014 season. In their closest margin, Bryant grabbed one more rebound than Providence, 38-37.

BURKE'S BLURB
In regards to the tournament: "I think this tournament is great for RI basketball. This is a great feature for the women's teams and it also allows the players to get excited about more than just a regular one-game scenario. The tournament is a stage that allows Bryant to continue to gain respect at the Division I level."