Posted: Mar 01, 2020

Bryant hosts Sacred Heart on Senior Day

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team battles for homecourt advantage in the NEC postseason tournament for the first time since 2017 when they host Sacred Heart on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. for Senior Day.

Prior to the start of the game, the Bulldogs will honor its five seniors in Meagan Bianchi (Brooklyn, Conn.), Taty LaFrance Boyce (Norwich, Conn.), Stephanie Lesko (Rumson, N.J.), Masey Zegarowski (Hamilton, Mass.) and Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W.Va).

THE MATCHUP
The Bulldogs host Sacred Heart on Senior Day on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. as Bryant fights for a fourth-place finish in the NEC. The two teams last met on Feb. 23 and the Pioneers erased a ten-point second-half lead to top the Bulldogs, 52-48. Sacred Heart holds the all-time series advantage, 18-6, and 8-3 at the Chace Athletic Center.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers recently topped St. Francis Brooklyn, 84-63, to match Bryant's 7-9 conference record. The NEC's leader in three-point percentage, Adrianne Hagood, posted 22 points against the Terriers shooting six-of-nine from three. However, the Bulldogs held Hagood to just nine in their last meeting this season. Redshirt junior Nikki Johnson erupted for 21 points against the Black and Gold but was held to eight points against St. Francis Brooklyn.

LAST TIME OUT: FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
Bryant swept Fairleigh Dickinson this season in its second meeting with the Knights on Saturday afternoon, 55-47. The win over FDU helped the Bulldogs clinch a playoff spot in the NEC postseason tournament. The Black and Gold were led by Nicole Gallagher (Foxboro, Mass.) with 13 points, accompanied by a double-double performance of 11 points, 11 rebounds from Sydney Holloway. As a team, the Bulldogs outrebounded the Knights by double-figures, 48-30, marking the sixth of the Bulldogs' last seven games where they outrebounded their opponent by double-digits.

HOLLA!
Sydney Holloway has posted double-figure scoring in nine of the last ten games for the Bulldogs, including her first 20-point performance of the season against St. Francis Brooklyn with 22 points and 14 rebounds. In the 10-game span, the senior has tallied six double-doubles with the most recent performance occurring against FDU with 11 points, 11 rebounds. Holloway also leads the conference in rebounding with 231 on the year averaging 9.1 a game. She also leads the conference and ranks 23rd in the country with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
In six of its last seven games, Bryant has dominated its opponent on the glass by outrebounding them by double-digits. In the first meeting with Central Connecticut, Bryant outrebounded the Blue Devils by 15, 45-30. Against St. Francis Brooklyn, the Bulldogs outrebounded the Terriers by 17, 40-23. The Black and Gold followed it up by then outrebounding CCSU again by double-digits, 46-26. Bryant continued the four-game streak when they outrebounded Merrimack, 50-34, as the game marked a season-high in rebounds for the Black and Gold. Most recently, the Bulldogs posted back-to-back double-digit rebound margins against both Sacred Heart (40-27) and Fairleigh Dickinson (48-30). Bryant ranks first in the NEC with a 4.7 rebound margin.

CLINCHED
Thanks to a 55-47 win over FDU, the Bulldogs have punched their ticket to the 2020 NEC women's basketball postseason tournament. Bryant currently sits in a four-way tie for fourth-place as FDU, Wagner, LIU, and Sacred Heart all battle for homecourt advantage in the quarterfinals with a 7-9 record heading into Monday. Since the Division I era, Bryant has yet to miss a postseason tournament following its three-year waiting period. The last time Bryant made it past the quarterfinal round was in 2017 when the Bulldogs reached the NEC Final for the first time in Bryant's history.