O'Keefe and Kokoski Help Bryant Escape In Overtime Wednesday

Jan. 31, 2007

O'KEEFE AND KOKOSKI HELP BRYANT WOMEN PULL OUT THRILLER

Bryant Defeats Saint Anselm, 73-68 Wednesday Night
Northeast-10 Conference Women's Basketball

MANCHESTER, NH -    Freshman Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) scored a game-high 18 points including a clutch three-pointer to lift the Bryant women's basketball team to a 73-60 overtime win over last-place Saint Anselm Wednesday night.  The win, Bryant's fourth-straight, improves the Bulldogs to 14-7 overall and 10-6 in the Northeast-10. 

Saint Anselm, which fell for the sixth-straight game, drops to 5-17 overall (2-15 NE-10).

Bryant trailed 57-50 with just over two minutes remaining, but an Erin Murphy (Albany, NY) jumper helped ignite a late run as two O'Keefe free throws and a jumper by the freshman forward helped pull Bryant to within 58-56 with a minute to go.

Down by three with 22 seconds left, O'Keefe's three-pointer rimmed out but Lynn-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass) was there for the rebound and was fouled. After making one of two free throws, the Bulldogs forced the Hawks the turn the ball over, giving Bryant one more chance with 10 seconds left to tie the game.  Kokoski made up for the miss by hitting a drive in traffic with three seconds left to tie the game, 59-59 and send the game into overtime. 

In the extra period, Saint Anselm once again led comfortably 68-62 with under three minutes left, but the Bulldogs closed out the extra session with eight-straight points to earn the win.  O'Keefe's three-pointer with 1:26 left put the Bulldogs ahead for good. 

O'Keefe finished with 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line.  Joanna Skiba added 18 points while Murphy finished with 14 points.  Byrant shot 35.7 percent from the floor and made 27 of 35 free throws.  Saint Anselm was led by Christina Buckley's 17 points. 

Bryant started slow out of the gate, falling behind 13-4 early.  But following a timeout, the Bulldogs used a 10-2 run to pull to within a point, 15-14.   After a Saint Anselm basket, Cara Johnson canned an eight-foot jumper to give Bryant its first lead, 18-17 with 5:15 left to go before halftime.

The Hawks, which fell to Bryant 63-48 earlier this season, closed the half strong, outscoring Bryant 11-5 during a three-minute span to take a 28-26 lead into the locker room at the break.

The Bulldogs will host Bentley College this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center.  There will be an alumni game starting at 11 a.m.

At Manchester, N.H., Stoutenburgh Gym

BRYANT 73, SAINT ANSELM 68

BRYANT (14-7, 10-6 NE-10)

Kelsey O'Keefe 6-16 6-6 19; Joanna Skiba 3-15 9-10 18; Erin Murphy 4-5 4-5

14; Lauren Rubenoff 3-8 1-2 7; Lynne-Ann Kokoski 1-6 4-8 6; Courtney

Schermerhor 1-1 2-2 4; Jamie Campbell 1-2 0-0 2; Cara Johnson 1-3 0-0 2;

Adrianne Mayshar 0-0 1-2 1; Stephanie Fontaine 0-0 0-0 0; Kristin Mraz 0-0

0-0 0. Totals 20-56 27-35 73.

SAINT ANSELM (5-17, 2-15 NE-10)

Christina Buckley 7-13 2-4 17; Kirsten Doldoorian 5-16 3-3 15; Cassaundra

Thorpe 4-6 2-2 10; Jessica Morgan 4-5 2-2 10; Reilly O'Keefe 1-1 2-4 5; Erin

Higgins 0-4 4-4 4; Meredith Amyot 1-6 1-2 3; Carleen Orawsky 0-1 2-2 2; Kate

Connolly 0-1 2-2 2; Cassandra Loftus 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-53 20-25 68.

Halftime:  Saint Anselm, 28-26

3-point goals--Bryant 6-21 (Joanna Skiba 3-11; Erin Murphy 2-2; Kelsey

O'Keefe 1-7; Lynne-Ann Kokoski 0-1), Saint Anselm 4-19 (Kirsten Doldoorian

2-8; Reilly O'Keefe 1-1; Christina Buckley 1-3; Erin Higgins 0-4; Meredith

Amyot 0-3). Fouled out--Bryant-None, Saint Anselm-Cassaundra Thorpe; Jessica

Morgan. Rebounds--Bryant 34 (Kelsey O'Keefe 9), Saint Anselm 39 (Cassaundra

Thorpe 6; Jessica Morgan 6). Assists--Bryant 10 (Lynne-Ann Kokoski 2; Joanna

Skiba 2; Erin Murphy 2), Saint Anselm 8 (Christina Buckley 3; Erin Higgins

3). Total fouls--Bryant 22, Saint Anselm 27. Technical fouls--Bryant-None,

Saint Anselm-None. A-380