BULLDOGS HOST ST. FRANCIS (NY) IN NEC HOME OPENER SATURDAY AT 1 P.M.

January 7, 2011

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University women's basketball team returns to the Chace Athletic Center Saturday afternoon for their Northeast Conference home opener as they host St. Francis (NY) at 1:00 p.m. Saturday's game marks the first home contest of 2011 for the Bulldogs after falling at Army and Monmouth earlier in the week. Follow all the action through 'live stats' on www.bryantbulldogs.com or watch a live webcast at www.bryantbulldogs.tv.

THE SERIES
Today's game will be the fifth meeting all-time between the two programs as the Bulldogs have met the Terriers twice every season since making the jump to Division I in 2008. Bryant currently holds a 4-0 lead in the series as each team has hosted a pair of games. Bryant captured both matchups last season including a 55-41 victory at the Chace Athletic Center behind then-junior Siamone Bennett's 17 point, nine rebound performance. Bennett also added 19 points in Bryant's 78-53 road victory at St. Francis (NY).

BRYANT LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Meredith Soper scored nine points and pulled down 10 rebounds while senior Siamone Bennett and sophomore Danielle Douglas added double-figure scoring efforts but the Bryant University women's basketball team could not take down Monmouth as the Bulldogs fell, 57-39, Wednesday night at the Multipurpose Activity Center.    

Douglas also recorded eight rebounds to go along with her game-high 12 points as the pair of sophomores just missed double-double performances in Bryant's (3-10, 0-2) second Northeast Conference game of the season. Bennett had a strong eight points in the first half and finished with 11 overall and also registered a pair of blocks. Freshman Naana Ankoma-Mensa added six rebounds including four on the defensive end.

Monmouth (10-3, 2-0) was led by Erin Rooney's 11 points while Alysha Womack and Alexis Canady added 10 points each.  The Bulldogs were impressive on the glass throughout the night as they outrebounded the Hawks by a margin of 38-32 while the home squad shot at 35 percent from the floor compared to Bryant's 30 percent effort.

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
St. Francis (NY) is 2-10 on the season and is coming off a 66-54 loss at home to Saint Francis (PA) on Jan. 2. Amber Lau led the way for the Terriers against the defending Northeast Conference champions as the sophomore shot 5-of-8 from the floor for a total of 13 points. Junior Ashley Wilcots scored a career-high 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. The Terriers, members of the Northeast Conference, are averaging 46.2 points per game and allowing 62.6 ppg. Sophomore Autumn Lau leads the team with 11.1 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per contest.   

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Now in their third year at the Division I level, the Bulldogs have put together a 16-16 record against members of the Northeast Conference since 2008. In two years, Bryant has yet to have a losing record against the NEC after going 6-6 in its inaugural DI season and 10-8 last winter. Additionally, the Bulldogs closed out the NEC slate in strong fashion last season, winning nine out of their final 15 contests. The Black and Gold dropped their first two NEC games of the season, falling at Fairleigh Dickinson, 58-48, on December 19 and at Monmouth, 57-39, last week.

HOME COOKING
According to non-conference play earlier this season, the Bulldogs are looking forward to returning to the Chace Athletic Center for the team's Northeast Conference home opener. Bryant is 2-2 at home this season including a pair of back-to-back wins over Patriot League members, Colgate and Holy Cross. Comparatively, the Bulldogs are 1-7 in games away from Smithfield, R.I.    

BRYANT IN NEC HOME OPENERS
The Bulldogs will be looking for their third straight NEC home opener win in as many years after logging victories over St. Francis (NY) the past two seasons.  The Bulldogs opened NEC home action with a victory over the Terriers in 2009-10 and also downed the Brooklyn squad in the first home game of their inaugural D1 season in 2008-09, although the team was not eligible for conference standings during that season.

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 10.8 points per game and has netted a career-high 19 points in two games this season. She has scored double-figures in seven of the 13 games played this season and has recorded at least one steal in every contest.

PICKPOCKETS
In 13 games this season, the Bulldogs lead the NEC with 126 steals, averaging 9.69 steals per game, with the next closest team being Quinnipiac at 8.92 steals per game. Leading the way is sophomore Danielle Douglas, who is tied for first in the NEC with a remarkable 2.38 thefts per game, including a pair of five-steal games against Dartmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson. Mount St. Mary's Selina Mann is also averaging 2.38 steals per game.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Bulldogs have been impressive on the glass this season as the team ranks first in the NEC with 16.85 offensive rebounds per game. The team's top ranking is due in large part to junior Brittany Stahura and senior Siamone Bennett who rank fourth (3.54) and fifth (3.46) in offensive rebounds per game, respectively.     

COMMON DENOMINATOR
The Bulldogs and Terriers have faced off against four non conference opponents this season in Lafayette, Army and Colgate of the Patriot League and Penn of the Ivy League. Both teams lost to Lafayette, Army and Penn but split against Colgate as the Bulldogs won, 77-70 at home while the Terriers fell, 69-51, on the road.  

TRIPLE THREAT
Senior Siamone Bennett and sophomores Danielle Douglas and Meredith Soper are the only players to start and play in all thirteen games this season. Overall, the Bulldogs have used four different starting lineups. Junior Brittany Stahura and sophomore Katie Whittington have joined Bennett, Douglas and Soper as the most used starting lineup by head coach Mary Burke, totaling six appearances for a 2-4 record.  

UP NEXT
The Black and Gold continue NEC action on Monday, January 10 when they welcome Long Island to the Chace Athletic Center for a 7:00 p.m. matchup.