BULLDOGS FALL AT SACRED HEART, 54-44 SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE CLASH

FAIRFIELD, CONN. – Sophomore Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) scored 12 points and added seven rebounds but the Bryant University women's basketball team could not hold off a late second half surge by Sacred Heart as the Bulldogs fell, 54-44, Saturday afternoon in Northeast Conference action at the William H. Pitt Center.

Callan Taylor led the way offensively for the Pioneers as the junior scored a game-high 26 points and 16 rebounds for the double-double, including 11 points in the final eight minutes to give the home side the late advantage and eventual victory.

Sophomore Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) added nine points for the visitors while senior Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) grabbed eight boards. As a team, Bryant (5-11,2-3 NEC) shot 35.6 percent from the floor on 16-for-45 shooting while Sacred Heart (10-6, 4-1 NEC) shot 27.8 from the field.   

The Bulldogs were the first to jump on the board as a steal by Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) led to a Douglas layup on the other end, setting up an 8-2 opening run by the visitors in the first five minutes. Bryant continued the pressure over the next four minutes as Douglas and Soper sliced through the Pioneer defense for drives to the basket, giving the Bulldogs a 15-6 advantage at the 12:21 mark.

Sacred Heart then climbed back into the game with three straight treys, including a pair from Maggie Cosgrove, to tie up the score at 15-15 at the midway point of the first half. The two teams combined for just two field goals over the next seven minutes until Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ontario) scored on a turnaround lay-in down low for the three-point lead. The Bulldogs padded their lead on a 3-pointer from Soper and went into halftime on top, 26-21.

At intermission, Douglas and Soper paced the Bulldogs with eight points apiece while Bennett pulled down five rebounds. As a team, the Black and Gold shot 43.5 percent from the field on 10-for-23 shooting in the first stanza.

The Pioneers opened the second half with a quick four points but Soper answered with a fade-away jumper from the corner to kick off a 7-0 run for the 33-25 Bryant advantage at the 14:15 mark. From there, the Pioneers chipped away over the course of the next four minutes as a layup from Blair Koniszewski trimmed the Bulldog lead down to two, 35-33, with 12 minutes left in regulation.

The two squads would exchange trips to the free throw line over the next four minutes until Kiley Evans sunk a 3-pointer to tie up the score, 38-38. Bryant answered right back with a driving layup by Soper to push the lead back up to two but Callan Taylor hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Pioneers a 44-40 lead at the 4:40 mark.

Bryant maintained pressure on the Pioneers, going to Bennett underneath to keep up the scoring threat, but Taylor continued to make crucial shots for the Pioneers as the home team hung on for the 54-44 victory.          

The Black and Gold continue Northeast Conference action on Monday, Jan. 17 when they visit Quinnipiac for a 1:00 p.m. matchup.