Bulldogs head to Staten Island for final regular-season road game Saturday at 1 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University women's basketball team sets out for its final road trip of the season, traveling to Staten Island to take on Wagner on Saturday at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES
This contest marks the 15th meeting between the Bulldogs and the Colonials with the series heavily in Bryant's favor, 13-1. The Bulldogs will look to remain undefeated in Staten Island.

SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Sitting two games out of third with two games to go, the Seahawks need to win out and some help from the league to make the NEC postseason under first-year head coach Heather Jacobs. Wagner's most impressive win came over then NEC-leading Saint Francis U., when the Seahawks topped the Red Flash, 87-71, in Loretto. The Seahawks are led by six-time NEC Rookie of the Week Kerstie Phills, who averages 12.8 points, placing her eighth in the league. Tanasia Russell and Kellie Crouch also grace the NEC's top-30 scoring list at 10.9 and 8.9, respectively.

LAST VS. THE SEAHAWKS
After 22 lead changes, Bryant went up six at the end of the third and never looked back, battling through a dominant fourth quarter to win, 70-61, over Wagner. Junior Naomi Ashley took charge in the second half, finishing with a career-high 17 points, including six in the fourth quarter alone. The guard hit 6-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line, while totaling eight rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes of play.

AT THE POUND
The Bulldogs hold the best home record in the league at 10-2, which boasts well for the Black and Gold, as they play five of their final six regular season games at home. In the first meetings with the final six teams, Bryant went 2-4.

HOME ON THE RANGE
The Bulldogs are fresh off a four-game homestand, where they finished 4-0, including back-to-back wins over two top-three seeded teams in the league. During the four-game sweep, five Bulldogs managed higher points-per-game averages, including seniors Alex Klein and Morgan Olander, who put up 14.8 and 12.0, respectively.

After averaging 3.2 assists in the Bulldogs' previous five road losses, sophomore point guard Kierra Palmer averaged 9.25 helpers during the stretch. The Black and Gold shot 41.6 percent from the floor, .344 percent from three and averaged an assist/turnover ratio of 1.1 during the team's longest win streak of the season.

NEC HOME VS. AWAY
The Bulldogs post a 7-1 league record at home, while sitting 2-6 on the road, heading into their final regular season away game. At home, Bryant has outscored league opponents in the second, third and fourth quarters, as well as in overtime, while only putting up more points in the fourth on the road. The Black and Gold have been significantly better in categories, such as points per game, scoring margin, assists per game and turnovers per game (see note on bottom right for complete comparison).

O'CANADA
Klein recorded her sixth double-double of the season against Robert Morris off a team-high 18 points and 13 rebounds. The Ontario native has recorded 20+ points in six games, as well as leading Bryant 15 times in scoring and 13 times in rebounding this year. The 20+ point games include Vermont, Holy Cross, Pitt, UMass Lowell, Wagner and Saint Francis U. Klein averages a team-high 15.4 points per game. She is most recently coming off her third NEC Player of the Week nod.

OLANDER
Olander recorded her second double-double of the season and ninth of her career against Saint Francis U. off 13 points and 13 rebounds. The center's 13 boards marked her 17th double-digit rebounding game of her career. Olander also finished the game with three assists, two blocks and three steals in 30 minutes of play. The senior captain was also recognized by the league as an NEC Prime Performer this week, following her double-double against the Red Flash and 15-point, nine-rebound showing in the Black and Golds' overtime win against the Colonials.