Bulldogs face NEC-leading Pioneers Saturday at 1 p.m. at William H. Pitt Center

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team travels to Fairfield to take on NEC-leading Sacred Heart on Saturday at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES
This contest marks the 17th meeting between the Bulldogs and Pioneers with the series heavily in SHU's favor, 13-3. Last year's road victory over the Pioneers was the Bulldogs' first Division I win at the William H. Pitt Center.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers enter the contest as one-of-two teams leading the NEC at 8-2 in league play and 11-10 overall. SHU has lost both conference games on the road, falling, 67-50, at Central Connecticut and most recently, 61-59, at Mount St. Mary's, where the Bulldogs play on this coming Monday. The Pioneers lead the league in assist/turnover ratio at 0.87, averaging 12.6 assists per game and 14.5 turnovers.

SHU is led offensively by Hannah Kimmel, who averages 15.2 points per game, placing her fifth in the conference. The red-shirt senior shoots in 33.7 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three and 63.0 percent from the line in 21 games. Katherine Haines and Adaysha Williams round out the Pioneers double figure scorers, as Haines averages 11.2 points per contest and Williams 10.8.

LAST VS. SHU
In their last matchup, the Bulldogs led the Pioneers, 32-27, at the half, after much of the momentum was in Bryant's favor in the first. In the second, the Black and Gold shot 7-for-32 from the floor and were outscored, 38-21, as Bryant fell, 65-53.

GAME-WINNER
The Bulldogs trailed Fairleigh Dickinson for 39:06, until junior Naomi Ashley hit a jumper to tie the game, 46-46, as part of the guard's six-straight points in the fourth quarter. Ashley's play set up sophomore Kierra Palmer's game-winning jumper at the buzzer. The sophomore point guard got the ball back off the inbounds, took two dribbles and a deep two from the top of the key with one tick on the clock, winning the game for the Bulldogs, 50-48.

WATCH ME NAY-NAY
Most recently, Ashley scored six-straight points and nine total points in the fourth quarter to help lift Bryant to a 50-48 victory over FDU. The junior's 12-point performance marked the first time in her career leading Bryant in scoring. Ashley put up a career-high 17 points in Bryant's win over Wagner, as she connected on 6-of-7 from the floor, the highest shooting position of any Bulldog this season when hitting five or more field goals. The guard also went 5-for-6 from the line, while grabbing eight assists and two steals. The Bulldogs are 4-1 when Ashley has scored in double figures.

COLD FROM THREE
The Bulldogs have shot under 30 percent from three in 14-of-21 games this season, hitting less than five from deep in all 13 games. In Bryant's worst performance from deep, the team went 1-for-16 from behind the arc in the season opener at Vermont. The Bulldogs are most recently coming off a 14.3 percent shooting mark from three. The Bulldogs 26.0 percent shooting from behind the arc marks the program's worst three-point shooting in Division I, as they sit last in the league in percentage and threes made in a game.

REBOUNDING MARGIN
The Bulldogs average the NEC's highest rebounding margin at +5.1 per game, placing them 48th nationally. In the team's best performance, Bryant out-rebounded Brown by 23, marking their highest rebounding differential since the 2014 season.

LOSSES ON THE BOARDS
The Bulldogs have lost five battles on the boards to Maine, Sacred Heart, Wagner, Robert Morris and Central Conn. by single digits, four of which have come in the last six games.

FRESHMAN STARTS
Freshman Masey Zegarowski has started the last four games, playing 36+ minutes in which Bryant has gone 1-3. Now averaging 15.9 minutes per game, prior to her four starts, the guard averaged 10.5 minutes per game. Her offensive production has also increased, averaging 6.25 points when starting verse 1.6 when not.