BRYANT WOMEN WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT WITH 72-44 VICTORY OVER POST UNIVERSITY THURSDAY
December 20, 2007
WOMEN WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT WITH 72-44 VICTORY OVER POST UNIVERSITY THURSDAY
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JUNIOR CARA JOHNSON |
SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bryant University women's basketball team, led by 16 points from sophomore Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.), upped its winning streak to six games as it topped CACC opponent Post University, 72-44, Thursday night at the Chace Athletic Center.
The 8-2 Bulldogs got a strong start against the 0-7 Eagles, going up 10-3 after six minutes of play. Bryant steadily increased its lead throughout the half, opening up a 15-point margin with 6:17 showing on the clock before half.
The Eagles crept back in as the minutes wound down, but a basket from 3-point land by senior captain Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass.) with seven seconds till the intermission gave the Bulldogs a 34-19 lead to take into the locker room.
O'Keefe led at the break with 11 first-half points, while the Bulldogs outshot the Eagles from the floor, 39.4 percent to 22.2 percent. Bryant outrebounded Post, 34-19, in the opening frame.
The second half was more of the same from both sides of the court. The Bulldogs upped their lead to 63-34 at the 12-minute mark and held Post to just five points over the next 4:45 to go up 72-39 with just over three minutes to play.
And with a solid lead, Bryant sent in some of its younger ranks to finish out the game, as all five freshmen saw floor time in the closing minutes. The buzzer sounded for a 72-44 final to increase the Bulldogs' hot streak to six games, the longest of any Northeast-10 team.
O'Keefe added three blocks and a trio of boards to her game-high 16 points, while Kokoski and Kristin Mraz (Johnstown, NY) each chipped in 10 of their own. Cara Johnson's (Endicott, NY) six rebounds led the game while Bryant limited every Eagle to single-digit points.
The Bulldogs will get a week off for the holidays before returning to action to host the Bryant Holiday Classic, Dec. 28 and 29 at the Chace Athletic Center. The Bulldogs will face New York Tech, Friday at 1 p.m. before taking on Caldwell College, Saturday at 3 p.m.