BULLDOGS HOST MAINE IN 2010-11 HOME-OPENER TONIGHT AT 7 PM

Nov. 19, 2010

BULLDOGS HOST MAINE IN 2010-11 HOME-OPENER TONIGHT AT 7 PM

Game Notes

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team welcomes the University of Maine to the Chace Athletic Center tonight for the 2010-11 home-opener. The Bulldogs enter the game with an 0-2 overall record after dropping a pair of games at Penn and Lafayette last weekend. The Black Bears are also in search of their first win of the young season after falling to visiting Harvard last Saturday in their season opener. Tonight's contest will be the first meeting ever between the two programs.

LAST TIME OUT

Down for nearly all of the second half and with time running out in regulation, the Bryant University women's basketball team stormed back to force overtime but the valiant effort would not be enough to get past Lafayette as the Bulldogs fell, 84-80, Sunday afternoon at the Kirby Sports Center.

The Bulldogs forced overtime when senior Lindsey Hudspeth (Mount Laurel, N.J.) hit a timely three-pointer to give Bryant its first lead of the second half. Bryant turned to the long distance shot in overtime as well, when sophomore Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) drilled a trey with a minute left in the frame but the Leopards matched the Bulldogs' efforts when they took the lead on clutch free throws after their own three-pointer.

Soper had 14 points and 10 rebounds to record the first double-double of the season for Bryant while Hudspeth and sophomore Danielle Douglas (Silver Springs, Md.) paced the Bulldogs with 16 points each. Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ontario) came off the bench to net 15 points and five boards.

SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS

This season, Maine returns three starters and six letterwinners from last year's squad that went 8-21 overall and 4-12 in the America East Conference. The Black Bears were selected to finish eighth in the America East preseason poll, just one point behind seventh-place Albany. Sophomore guard Katelyn Vanderhoff was the team's leading scorer with 12 points in the game against Harvard while forward Carinne Wellington recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

BRYANT IN HOME OPENERS

Historically, the Bryant women have been remarkable in home-openers, putting together a 21-12 record in 33 tip-off games since the program's inception in 1977. Since Mary Burke took over as head coach in 1991, the Bulldogs have gone 10-9 in home-opening contests with the last win coming in 2008, their first season in Division I, with a 53-50 victory over visiting St. Francis (NY). Bryant dropped last year's home-opener to Holy Cross, 57-45.

THE COACHES

Head Coach Mary Burke is now in her 20th season as head coach of the Bryant women's basketball team. Burke has a career record of 270-270 and has enjoyed two 20-win seasons over her coaching days. Last year, she led the Bulldogs to a program-high 13 Division I victories. Prior to the team's switch to D-I, Burke led the team to the NCAA tournament seven times. Burke was promoted to head coach on August 1st, 1991.

Cindy Blodgett is 20-69 as she enters her fourth season at Maine. In four years since joining her alma mater, Blodgett has led the Black Bears to a 54-53 victory over Miami (Fla.) in the 2007-08 Miami Holiday Classic and helped develop Samantha Wheeler into an All-America East selection last season.  As a player at Maine, Blodgett was a two-time America East Player of the Year (1996, 1998), a four-time All-American and owns 20 school records.