Posted: Jan 22, 2010

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEEKS FOUR IN A ROW AT SACRED HEART SATURDAY, TIP-OFF 1 PM

January 22, 2010

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEEKS FOUR IN A ROW AT SACRED HEART SATURDAY, TIP-OFF 1 PM

SMITHFIELD. R.I. - The Bryant University women's basketball team looks to avenge and upset defending Northeast Conference champion, Sacred Heart, on Saturday at the Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn. The Pioneers (13-5, 6-1) visited the Bulldogs (7-11, 4-3) last Thursday, Jan. 14 and downed Bryant, 76-64. However, the Bulldogs are playing their best basketball of the season as they seek four victories in a row Saturday. After losing its last five games of 2009, the squad has gone 4-2 since the New Year. Bryant most recently completed the season sweep of Quinnipiac, in convincing fashion, on Thursday night. The Black and Gold stormed out to a 33-6 lead with 4:15 remaining in the first half en route to a 22-point halftime lead. The Bulldogs allowed only 11 points in the first period as it routed the Bobcats, 67-42. Bryant leads the overall series with Sacred Heart, 7-4. The Bulldogs are 2-3 all time at SHU.

Not unlike any of the past three seasons, the Bulldogs are led by their 6-foot-1 forward, Kelsey O'Keefe. The senior is averaging a team-high 14.2 points per game and has scored 1,604 points in her career, good enough for third place all-time. However, new and young faces are beginning to shine through for Bryant as it continues its march into Division I. Freshman Meredith Soper has started the last six games for the Bulldogs and is coming off a career-high 17-point night. Classmate Danielle Douglas has now started seven consecutive games and is recently coming off a 12-point, eight assist and eight steal night at home against Yale. She posted personal bests in both assists and steals. The eight single-game steals is good enough for second all-time in the Bulldog record book.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart is looking to rebound after seeing its 27-game Northeast Conference winning streak snapped at the hands of Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils defeated the Pioneers, 67-64, at the Pitt Center on Thursday night. SHU dropped to 13-5 overall and 6-1 in the NEC with the loss. The Pioneers' Callan Taylor posted her 10th double-double of the season, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. SHU currently has three players averaging double figures, all of which play over 33 minutes per game. The Pioneers are led by two pre-season NEC all-conference team members, Alisa Apo and Callan Taylor. Taylor and Apo are fourth and sixth in scoring in the NEC, respectively. Taylor is also leading the conference in rebounding, averaging 8.9 per game. If Apo and Taylor were not enough to deal with, junior Maggie Cosgrove and her sharpshooting ability will be. Cosgrove is leading the NEC in 3-point fg percentage having made 50-93 attempts on the season. That is an outstanding 53.8 percent from long-range. That percentage also ranks the junior point guard second in the NCAA behind only Samford's Emily London. London is shooting 53.9 percent, just one-tenth better than Cosgrove. In last week's meeting at the Chace Center, Cosgrove lit up the Bulldogs for 19 points on 5-7 shooting from long-range.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
With her 33 and 34 point performances on the past two Saturdays, Kelsey O'Keefe has the two highest single-game point totals in the Northeast Conference this season. She is currently ranked eighth in the NEC, averaging 14.2 ppg.

The Bulldogs are shooting well from long-range this season and are currently in fifth place in the NEC in 3-point shooting percentage, averaging 34 percent from beyond the arc. Bryant is third in 3-point shots made with 106 on the season and fourth in the conference in assists, averaging 12.9 per game. Coming into today's contest, sophomore Lekia Cowen is ranked fourth in the NEC, shooting 42.6 percent from long range. Senior captain Kristin Mraz is ranked sixth in the NEC with her 65 assists.

THEY DID WHAT?!?
In the Bulldogs 67-42 victory over Quinnipiac on Thursday, Jan. 21, Bryant held the Bobcats to just 11 points in the first half. This is the fewest points scored in one half of play in the Northeast Conference this season. Dating back to the 1997-98 season, the 11 points ties a Bryant record for fewest points allowed in a half. Surprisingly, the Bulldogs held Umass Lowell to only 11 points in the first half of a game on December 2, 2006. Bryant went on to win that game by a 20-point margin.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION
After losing its final five games of 2009, the Bryant University women's basketball team had to turn things around in the New Year. Since 2010 began, the Bulldogs are 4-2 and have currently won three straight games. In those four wins, Bryant has defeated its opponent by an average of 13 points.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Bryant Bulldogs have outrebounded their opponents in 13 of 18 games so far this season, including six of the seven victories. Bryant is currently ranked second in the NEC in rebounding, averaging 41.1 per game. The Bulldogs are third in the NEC in rebounding margin, averaging 3.3 boards better than its opponents. In the NEC, Siamone Bennett is ranked 18th in rebounds per game, averaging 6.4 boards per game. Bennett is also second in the conference in offensive rebounds, pulling down and average of 3.5 offensive rebounds per game. She also remains in first place in the conference with 28 blocked shots.

THE GENERAL'S NIECE
Freshman Danielle Douglas, the niece of former NBA great and Syracuse University standout Sherman Douglas, is coming into her own at Bryant. Douglas has now started seven consecutive games for the Bulldogs and recently displayed the best performance of her young career. Douglas scored a team-high 12 points and recorded career-highs in assists (8), steals (8) and blocks (3) in Monday's victory over Yale. Her eight steals against Yale puts her in second place in the Bryant record books for steals in a game. Douglas is also shooting 82 percent from the free throw line.

BULLDOGS ON THE AIR
Fans can catch all of the action this year by logging onto www.bryantbulldogs.tv to watch all Bryant home games live online, courtesy of Pack Network. Also this year, track each game live online for free with LIVE STATS by visiting www.bryantbulldogs.com and clicking the Live Stats link.

UP NEXT
Bryant will return home and continue Northeast Conference action in the first of a three-game homestand on Thursday, January 28, when the Bulldogs host Fairleigh Dickinson at 5 p.m. in the Chace Center. Bryant will be looking to avenge its 20-point loss at FDU earlier in the month.