Holloway finishes with second-career double-double, Bulldogs drop NEC contest to Pioneers, 66-59

FAIRFIELD, CONN. – Despite freshman Sydney Holloway's (Morgantown, W. Va.) career day and three tied scores, the Bryant University women's basketball team never led Sacred Heart, as the hosts held on to win, 66-59, in Fairfield.

Holloway finished with a career-high 21 points, off 5-for-12 from the floor, 1-for-1 from three and 10-for-12 from the line. The 5-10 forward came alive in the second half, scoring 12 points, while collecting nine rebounds, as she led the Black and Gold with a career-best 16 boards. Holloway's performance marked her second double-double of the season with the first occurring at Pittsburgh, making her only the fourth Bulldog since the 2010-11 season to do so in their first season in Smithfield.

Senior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) also finished with a double-double off 12 points and 10 rebounds, marking her fifth of the season. Freshman Masey Zegarowski (Hamilton, Mass.) was one-point shy of her career-best, totaling 13 points in the contest, knocking down 4-of-8 from the floor, 3-of-5 from three and 2-of-3 from the line.

The Pioneers were led offensively by Kelcey Castro with 17 points, highlighted by a 5-for-9 mark from deep. After holding the Preseason NEC Selection to five points in their first meeting, Hannah Kimmel finished with 15 points, hitting 4-of-15 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the line. Katherine Haines rounded out the Pioneers double digit scorers, as she finished with 14, while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

Bryant shot 34.5 percent from the floor, 41.2 percent from three and 77.8 percent from the line. Sacred Heart connected on 36.1 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from behind the arc and 85.7 percent from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs won their sixth game on the boards by double figures, outrebounding the Pioneers, 44-33. The Black and Gold gave up 23 points off 23 turnovers, while Bryant converted 14 SHU turnovers into six points.

The Pioneers opened the first on a 10-2 run, as Castro scored eight during the stretch, including back-to-back triples. The Bulldogs put together a 12-2 run in two minutes of play in the first to tie the contest, 17-17. The scoring spree included a three from sophomore Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) and Zegarowski. After struggling from three on the season, the Bulldogs shot 60 percent from behind the arc in the opening period, as they trailed, 22-17, heading into the second.

The Pioneers cooled down in the second, facing a dry spell for nearly six minutes, but the Bulldogs didn't capitalize, as Bryant only outscored the Sacred Heart by two, 9-7. The Bulldogs' 15 first-half turnovers gave way to 16 SHU points, while the hosts coughed the ball up six times. Kimmel knocked down a triple to lift Sacred Heart to a 29-26 lead at the break.

Kimmel started off the third where she left off, opening the third quarter with a steal and lay-in, before moving into double figures off a layup on the ensuing Sacred Heart possession. Adaysha Williams drilled the wide open three pointer, as part of SHU's 10-0 run. Bryant wasted no time, responding back with seven unanswered points, including Zegarowski's three-point play to pull the Black and Gold back within three, 36-33, midway through the period. Holloway's four free throws closed out the Bulldogs scoring in the third, but Castro's sharp shooting from outside gave the Pioneers a 44-37 advantage at the end of the third.

The Bulldogs pulled within three with 5:34 to play in the fourth, following Holloway's two made give-mes at the line. Castro followed 30 seconds later with a three from way downtown with a Bulldog defender in her face and the shot clock about to expire, pushing the hosts' edge to six, 53-47. The Bulldogs didn't transition well defensively and it cost them, as Erin Storck hit back-to-back daggers from deep to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the game, 59-58, with 2:29 to play. Zegarowski was quick to hit her third triple of the game to cut Bryant's deficit back to single digits, 59-51. The Bulldogs had to foul down the stretch and the Pioneers were able to convert from the line, winning, 66-59, on Saturday afternoon in Fairfield.

The Bulldogs head to Emmitsburg, Md. next to face Mount St. Mary's on Monday at 7 p.m.