Posted: Jan 10, 2020

Bryant hosts Mount St. Mary's in Saturday showdown

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team returns to the Chace Athletic Center on Saturday, Jan. 11 as they host Mount St. Mary's at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs look for their second conference victory of the season and hope to give the Mountaineers their first loss of the NEC slate.

THE MATCHUP
The Bulldogs welcome Mount St. Mary's to the Chace Athletic Center for game one of a Bryant basketball doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 11. Game time is set for a 1 p.m. tip as the Black and Gold look to give Mount St. Mary's its first conference loss of the season. One year ago, the Bulldogs swept the Mountaineers in both meetings of the conference schedule. Bryant holds the all-time series record, 12-9, and 7-4 in Smithfield.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Mount St. Mary's looks for its third-straight NEC victory on Saturday after topping both Wagner and Long Island to kick off the conference slate. The Mountaineers have proven this season to be a strong outside shooting team as they lead the conference and are among the top 30 in the country in three-point field goals made, attempted, and made per game. Mount St. Mary's is 118-of-368 this season averaging 8.4 a night. Sophomore Michaela Harrison leads the team from behind the arc and is 30-of-98 this year averaging 2.14 three's a game and posts a 30.6 three-point percentage.

LAST TIME OUT: MERRIMACK
Bryant's second-half push wasn't enough against the newest NEC member Merrimack as the Warriors topped the Bulldogs, 78-66, on Wednesday night. Merrimack erupted in the second quarter outscoring the Bulldogs, 28-9, to grab its first conference victory. Sophomore Trinity Bravo (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W.Va) each posted double-double performances as Bravo led in scoring with a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Holloway dominated the glass with 12 rebounds and 10 points. Brooke Bjelko (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) trailed Bravo with 13 points followed by Nicole Gallagher (Foxboro, Mass.) with 11.

SEEING DOUBLE
Holloway posted back-to-back double-double performances at both FDU with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and then again at Merrimack with 10 points, 12 rebounds. Bravo also tallied her second career double-double at Merrimack with a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.

BEGINNERS LUCK
Gallagher posted three consecutive double-figure scoring performances in her NEC debut. Against SFU, Gallagher posted 14 points, four assists, and four rebounds. In Bryant's first conference victory at Fairleigh Dickinson, the rookie netted 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists. The rookie's third-straight double-digit performance occurred at Merrimack with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and three assists. She now averages 11.7 points against conference foes.

BRAVO!
Bravo has constantly broken career-highs this season. Bravo set a career-best of 14 points at FDU before surpassing the mark in the very next game with 16 points at Merrimack off 7-of-22 shooting. The 5-9 forward also tallied her second career double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds at Merrimack.

BOARDING SCHOOL
The Bulldogs are now first in the NEC in rebound margin with a mark of 1.2 and are second in offensive rebounds per game with 13.3. Recently, Bryant outrebounded Merrimack by double-figures, 45-35. Sydney Holloway leads the conference and is fifth in the country averaging 4.9 offensive rebounds a game.