Bulldogs take on Pioneers in their fourth-straight NEC Semifinal

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University women's basketball team makes its fourth-straight Northeast Conference semifinal appearance, traveling to Fairfield to take on No. 2 Sacred Heart on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES
This contest marks the 18th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Pioneers. The hosts command the series record both overall and in Fairfield (14-3, 9-1). The Bulldogs won their first-ever game at the William H. Pitt Center last season and haven't beaten the Pioneers since. This semifinal contest marks the first time the two teams have met in the postseason. 

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
No. 2 Sacred Heart took down No. 7 St. Francis Brooklyn, 90-69, in the NEC Quarterfinals. The Pioneers shot 46.2 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from three and 93.3 percent from the line. The Pioneers' three All-NEC selections combined for 56 of the team's 90 points. First Team All-NEC honoree Hannah Kimmel finished the contest with a season-high 32 points off a 9-for-16 mark from the floor, 8-for-12 shooting from three and a 6-for-7 tally at the line. The swing player ranks fourth in the league with 15.5 points per outing, while Katherine Haines and Adaysha Williams average 13.0 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. The three Pioneers combine for four top spots in the league, including Haines' NEC-leading stats in rebounding (8.7), field goal percentage (51.6) and offensive rebounds (3.14).

ALL-NEC RECOGNITION
Senior Alex Klein was named First Team All-NEC and freshman Sydney Holloway was named to the league's all-rookie team, as announced by the conference on Friday before the quarterfinal game.

THE PLAYOFF PICTURE
#1 Robert Morris vs. #6 Central Connecticut
#2 Sacred Heart vs. #4 Bryant

Both semifinal games will be played at the higher seed on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action from both games on ESPN3.

TOURNEY TIME
The Bulldogs are making their fifth-straight NEC Tournament appearance and fourth-straight semifinal. This year's postseason marks the Bulldogs second time as the No. 4 seed. In 2013-14, No. 4 Bryant defeated No. 5 St. Francis Brooklyn in the quarterfinals in Smithfield, before losing to No. 1 Robert Morris in the semifinals in Moon Township. The Bulldogs are 4-4 all-time in the NEC Tournament, capturing all four of those wins at home.

This is the Bulldogs' first meeting with the Pioneers in the conference postseason. The Pioneers topped Bryant in both regular-season meetings this year, including a 66-59 win in Fairfield last month.

POSTSEASON AVERAGES
The Bulldogs are 4-5 in the Division I postseason, including the Women's Basketball Invitation game against Fairfield in 2014. In the postseason, the Bulldogs averaged 63.6 points per game, while allowing 68.9. Bryant averaged 40.1 percent from the floor. After averaging a negative rebounding margin in the first two postseason appearances, the Bulldogs averaged 14.7 more boards in the three most recent postseasons, including the Bulldogs' 45-25 rebounding differential in this year's quarterfinal against Mount St. Mary's.

POSTSEASON PLAYERS
Senior Morgan Olander is the most seasoned player on the team, having appeared in eight postseason games, while earning five starts. The center has averaged 4.8 points in the eight appearances, posting a combined best 7.5 in the 2014-15 postseason. Olander put up eight in Bryant's 2016-17 quarterfinal win over Mount St. Mary's. Appearing in five postseason games, Klein averaged 11.5 points, including a career-high 27 points in the Bulldogs semifinal loss to Robert Morris last season.

THIS SEASON VS. SACRED HEART
The Bulldogs are 0-2 against the Pioneers this season, facing a 65-53 loss in Smithfield and a 66-59 deficit in Fairfield. The Black and Gold average 9.5 less points than SHU, while outshooting the Pioneers from behind the arc, 31.3-28.8 percent. Sacred Heart shot better than Bryant from the floor and the chalk at 40.2 and 83.9 percent, respectively. Bryant averages more points in the first half, 58-56, while SHU wins the second half battle, 75-54.

HOLL-YWOOD
Holloway has put together the best combined games against the Pioneers, averaging 18 points and 10.5 rebounds in the regular-season matchups. The power forward has scored double-digit points in nine games this season. Holloway notched her second double-double of the season off a career-high 21 points and 16 rebounds at Sacred Heart. The forward is only the fourth freshman since the 2010-11 season to earn a double-double in her first season in Smithfield. In the contest, Holloway went career-high 10-for-12 from the line, as she leads Bryant with 84.4 percent shooting from the stripe. The rookie's double-double performance at Pitt marked the eighth time in Division I history that a double-double has been recorded in an up-game, making her one-of-six players to do so.

AWAY WE GO
The Bulldogs are 3-6 against NEC opponents on the road and are heading to Sacred Heart, who holds the best NEC home record at 10-0. Bryant posts worse averages on the road in a number of categories, including points per game (64.7, 55.6), scoring margin (+6.4, -4.4), three-point percentage (33.3, 24.8) and turnovers per game (16.0, 21.7). On the road, the Bulldogs only average more points than their competitors in the fourth quarter.

MAKING IT RAIN
Sophomore Haley Connors had a career day against Central Connecticut in the regular-season finale, tying her career-best five threes, going 5-for-7 from behind the arc. She also totaled a career-high 17 points after connecting on a career-best six field goals.

Connors has shot 45.1 percent from three in the last nine games in comparison to 29.2 percent in the previous contests. In the last nine games, she has gone 23-for-51 from behind the arc and averaged 9.3 points, while hitting only 14 triples in the first 18 games of the season.

WATCH ME NAY-NAY
Junior Naomi Ashley has pulled down a career-best 12 boards in back-to-back games, including the Bulldogs' quarterfinal win over Mount St. Mary's. On both occasions, the guard's 12 rebounds led the Bulldogs, marking the sixth time in her career she has led Bryant in rebounding. The junior averages 5.9 rebounds per game, including 2.43 offensive rebounds per outing.

REBOUNDING MARGIN
The Bulldogs average the NEC's highest rebounding margin at +5.8 per game, placing them 40th nationally. In the team's best performance, Bryant out-rebounded Brown by 23, marking their highest rebounding differential since the 2014 season. Most recently, the Bulldogs dominated Mount St. Mary's on the boards, 45-25, in the NEC Quarterfinals.

DOING THE DISHES
Sophomore Kierra Palmer averages 5.07 helpers per game, placing her first in the conference and 44th in the nation. She has recorded eight 7+ assist games, tying the Division I program-best 14 against Saint Francis U., previously set by Palmer last season. The point guard's 14 assists helped the Bulldogs to a new season-high 22 assists.