BULLDOGS LOOK TO EVEN CONFERENCE RECORD, HOST LONG ISLAND MONDAY NIGHT (7 P.M.)

1/10/11

Game Notes

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University women's basketball team continues Northeast Conference action on Monday, January 10 as they welcome Long Island to the Chace Athletic Center for a 7:00 p.m. matchup. The Bulldogs are coming off a 59-47 win over St. Francis (NY) Saturday afternoon and look to even up their conference record. Follow all the action through 'live stats' on www.bryantbulldogs.com or watch a live webcast at www.bryantbulldogs.tv.

THE SERIES
Tonight's game will be the third meeting all-time between the two programs as the Blackbirds downed the Bulldogs twice last season. In last year's meeting at the Chace Athletic Center, then-junior Siamone Bennett recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds but the Bulldogs could not capture a win in the season finale as they fell, 84-76, on senior day. Then-freshman Danielle Douglas added 10 points in the contest. The Blackbirds also picked up a 73-54 win over the Bulldogs earlier in the 2009-10 season, despite a double-double from Bennett.

BRYANT LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Danielle Douglas scored 18 points and sophomore Katie Whittington added 15 points as the Bryant University women's basketball team knocked off St. Francis (NY), 59-48, in Northeast Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (4-10, 1-2 NEC) benefited from a strong opening 20 minutes as the team used a 19-point halftime lead to help pick up their first conference win of the season. St. Francis (NY) fell to 2-11 overall and 0-3 in conference play with the loss.       

Douglas shot 6-for-12 from the floor and 6-for-8 at the free throw line for 18 points, one tally short of matching her career-high. Whittington was 3-for-5 from 3-point range while senior Siamone Bennett chipped in with 10 point and five rebounds. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 46 percent from the field while the Terriers shot at a 33 percent clip.   

SCOUTING THE BLACKBIRDS
Long Island is 9-5 on the season and 1-2 in the Northeast Conference after knocking off Central Connecticut, 63-51, on Saturday. Junior Ashley Palmer led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds while senior Chelsi Johnson also recorded seven boards. The Blackbirds are averaging 60.6 points per game and allowing 58.3 ppg for the second-best scoring margin in the conference. Palmer leads the team with 13.4 points per game while junior Kiara Evans is close behind with 13.2 ppg. Palmer is also the team's top rebounder with 9.6 boards per contest.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Now in their third year at the Division I level, the Bulldogs have put together a 17-16 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 this season, falling at Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth, before downing St. Francis (NY), 59-48, on Saturday in their NEC home opener.  

BLOCK PARTY
With 17 blocks in a total of 14 games this season, senior Siamone Bennett has 10 more rejections than Long Island's leading shot-blocker, Chelsi Johnson. Bennett is ranked fifth in the NEC with 1.21 blocks per game and is the second-best shot-blocker in Bryant history with 122 career rejections. 

LEND A HELPING HAND
The Bulldogs registered a total of 16 assists Saturday against St. Francis (NY) for the team's second-highest single-game total of the season in that category. Individually, Katie Whittington led the way with a career-high six assists, while Meredith Soper, Brittany Stahura and Danielle Douglas added three apiece.   

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Tonight's game will be a matchup between two of the top rebounding teams in the Northeast Conference. The Bulldogs lead the NEC with 16.50 offensive boards per game while the Blackbirds boast the league's best rebounding offense (43.8) and rebounding defense (36.1) as well as the top individual rebounder in the conference in Ashley Palmer (9.6).

COMMON DENOMINATOR
The Bulldogs and Blackbirds have faced off against two non conference opponents this season in Lafayette of the Patriot League and Syracuse of the Big East Conference. Both teams lost to Syracuse but split against Lafayette with Long Island picking up the lone win, 64-59, at home.

STARTING STRONG
Bryant's starting five accounted for all but six points in the team's victory over St. Francis (NY) on Saturday. Although head coach Mary Burke has used four different starting lineups this season, the combination of Siamone Bennett, Katie Whittington, Meredith Soper, Danielle Douglas and Brittany Stahura has been the most common with seven appearances for a 3-4 record. Whittington, Douglas and Bennett led the group with double-figure scoring against the Terriers.   

HOME COOKING
Bryant should look forward to a return to the Chace Athletic Center against Long Island tonight as the Bulldogs have won their last three home games for a 3-2 record in Smithfield, R.I. Before Saturday's win over St. Francis (NY), the Bulldogs knocked off a pair of Patriot League squads in Colgate and Holy Cross. Comparatively, the Bulldogs are 1-7 in games away from Smithfield, R.I.       

UP NEXT
The Black and Gold will hit the road next weekend as they take a tour through southern Connecticut, first travelling to Sacred Heart on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 1:00 p.m. and then heading to Quinnipiac on Monday, Jan. 17 for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.  From there, the Bulldogs round out January with four consecutive home games as they take on Monmouth, Fairleigh Dickinson, Mount St. Mary's and Wagner.