BENNETT LEADS BULLDOGS PAST FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON, 62-58, IN NEC ACTION MONDAY NIGHT

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With the game tied at the 1:22 mark, senior Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) crashed the boards on a missed shot and put back the offensive rebound for the lay-in to give the Bryant University women's basketball the late lead as the Bulldogs held on to top Fairleigh Dickinson, 62-58, in Northeast Conference action Monday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Following Bennett's clutch lay-in, the home side made all the necessary free throws down the stretch, including five from sophomore Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio), as a final 3-pointer from Jasmyra Saunders was not enough to bring the Knights close enough for a comeback.     

Bryant (6-13, 3-5 NEC) was led offensively by Bennett who recorded a team-high 20 points and 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Sophomore Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) added nine points and 11 boards. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 39.3 percent from the floor while holding the visiting Knights to just 24.6 percent.

Fairleigh Dickinson (10-9, 3-5 NEC) was led by Mariyah Laury who netted a game-high 26 points while Alyssa Mayrose added 14 points and seven boards.     

The Bulldogs exploded out of the gate for the early 11-3 advantage as seven points came from Bennett who took advantage of multiple chances down low while Soper contributed with a 3-pointer. Fairleigh Dickinson responded with a 15-0 run over the next eleven minutes of game action to build an 18-11 lead with 6:22 left in the opening half. Laury led the offensive attack for the Knights as she earned several trips to the charity stripe for a total of eight points during the stretch.

With just over six minutes left in the half, freshman Stephanie Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) hit a short jumper in the paint to end Bryant's scoring drought and kick off a 8-2 run for the home side, ending with a 3-pointer from Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) to give the Bulldogs a 22-20 lead at the 2:17 mark.

The two teams played neck-and-neck over the final two minutes of the stanza but a late post-move by Bennett was enough to give the Bulldogs the 29-25 advantage at halftime.

Bennett paced the home team with ten points in the opening stanza while Laury led the all-scorers with 11 tallies and four steals. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 41.4 percent from the floor while the Knights shot at a 22.7 percent clip.

Bennett opened the second half just as she left off in the first as the senior scored Bryant's first four points on a pair of tough baskets down low, padding the Bulldog lead to 33-27 at the 17:35 mark. Following a Soper free throw, Laury hit a shot from beyond the arc to pull the Knights within four but the Bulldogs continued to find the basket as a Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) jumper pushed the lead back up to six, 38-32, with 13:00 left in regulation.

Down by six at the 8:54 mark, Fairleigh Dickinson used a trio of 3-pointers to power a 13-2 run and give the visitors a five point lead but Bryant answered right back with a pair of driving layups from Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) bringing the Knight's lead down to 51-50 with five minutes to play.

The teams traded baskets and slim leads over the next three minutes until Bennett tipped in the clutch lay-in for the 56-54 Bulldog lead with 1:20 remaining in the contest. After Danielle Panky converted one-of-two free throws on the next possession, Bryant made the necessary free throws down the stretch to build up a large enough lead and hang on for the 62-58 victory.

The Black and Gold return to NEC action on Saturday, Jan. 29 when they host Mount St. Mary's at 1:00 p.m.