BRYANT WOMEN’S BASKETBALL LOOKS FOR UPSET AT THE CARRIER DOME, VISITS SYRACUSE DEC. 30 AT NOON

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University women's basketball team closes out its 2010 schedule with a trip up to the Carrier Dome for a game against Big East affiliate, Syracuse on Dec. 30 at noon. The Bulldogs are looking for their third straight victory after a pair of home wins over Patriot League teams, Colgate and Holy Cross.

Game Notes

THE SERIES
Thursday's game will be the first meeting ever between the Bulldogs and Orange in the history of the two programs

BRYANT LAST TIME OUT
Down by 10 points with just over eight minutes to play in the contest, the Bryant University women's basketball team went on a remarkable 17-0 run as the Bulldogs stormed back to down Holy Cross, 59-47, Dec. 19 at the Chace Athletic Center.

With the Crusaders on top, 46-36, at the 8:00 mark, sophomore Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) sparked the run with a jumper and a driving layup. After a free throw by Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.), freshman Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) hit a 3-pointer to trim the lead to just one point. Bennett was then able to get to the line again and hit a pair of free throws for the late advantage. On the next play and with the momentum in Bryant's favor, Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) drilled a 3-pointer to pad the lead to four as the home squad held on for the eventual comeback victory.

Douglas led all scorers and matched a career-high with 19 points while Bennett added nine tallies and freshman Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ontario) pulled down nine boards. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 39 percent from the floor while Alex Smith and Amy Lepley led the Crusaders with 14 and 12, respectively.

SYRACUSE LAST TIME OUT
Three players netted double-doubles to lead Syracuse (10-1) to a 94-60 win against St. Francis (Pa.) (5-7) in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday afternoon. Sophomore center Kayla Alexander, junior forward Iasia Hemingway and sophomore guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas each had double-doubles in the contest, marking the first time three Orange players have accomplished the feat in a game since Feb. 1, 1989.

Syracuse was dominant in all facets of the game, shooting 55.9 percent from the floor while dominating the lane with a 48-26 advantage in rebounds and a 60-14 edge in the paint. Hemingway led all scorers with a career-high tying 22 points and 10 rebounds while dishing out four assists. Alexander added 20 points and a game-best 11 rebounds while adding three blocked shots and Tyson-Thomas netted her sixth career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE
Syracuse is 10-1 on the season and is coming off a 94-60 win over NEC-affiliate, Saint Francis (PA) in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday afternoon. The Orange, members of the Big East Conference, are averaging 77.5 points per game and allowing 51.1 ppg. Sophomore Kayla Alexander leads the team with 15.0 points per game while teammates Iasia Hemingway, Erica Morrow and Carmen Tyson-Thomas are also averaging double-digits in scoring. Tyson-Thomas is the team's top rebounder with 8.3 boards per contest.      

ALL IN THE FAMILY
If family history is any indication, Bryant's first trip to the Carrier Dome should bode well for sophomore Danielle Douglas, who is the niece of former NBA player and Syracuse standout, Sherman Douglas. Sherman Douglas played at Syracuse from 1985-1989 and was named a Consensus All-American 1989. He left Syracuse as the school's all-time assist leader (960) and also holds the school record for single game (22) and single season (326) assists. Danielle Douglas is also coming into her own at Bryant as the she leads the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game.     

TEACH ME HOW TO DOUG-LAS
Sophomore guard Danielle Douglas has been one of the most consistent players for the Bulldogs this season and her numbers tell the story. Douglas leads the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game and has netted a career-high 19 points in two games this season, including last week's victory over Holy Cross. She has scored double-figures in six of the 10 games played this season and has recorded at least one steal in every contest.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Bulldogs have been a force down low this season as they lead the Northeast Conference with 17.90 offensive rebounds per game. Individually, Meredith Soper ranks 7th with 7.6 rebounds per game and Siamone Bennett ranks 8th with 7.3

IN CONTROL
The Bulldogs have committed fewer turnovers in nine out of their 10 games this season. In those nine games, the Bulldogs have put together a 3-6 record while the one game with more giveaways came in a home contest against Maine on Nov. 19.

LINING IT UP
In 10 games this season, Mary Burke has used four different starting lineups. The starting lineup of Katie Whittington, Danielle Douglas, Meredith Soper, Brittany Stahura and Siamone Bennett has been the most productive with a record of 2-1.

UP NEXT
The Black and Gold round out their non-conference schedule with a visit to Army on Jan. 3 at 5:00 before they return to NEC action on Jan. 5 when they travel to Monmouth at 7:00 p.m.