BENNETT, ANKOMA-MENSA RECORD DOUBLE-DOUBLES, LEAD BULLDOGS PAST WAGNER, 61-51, MONDAY NIGHT

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Led by a pair of double-double performances from senior Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) and freshman Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ontario), the Bryant University women's basketball team downed Wagner, 61-51, in Northeast Conference play Monday night at the Chace Athletic Center

Facing a five-point deficit at halftime, the Seahawks managed to trim the lead down to one point with 4:52 left to play, but Bryant (8-13, 5-5 NEC) answered with an 8-0 run, capped off with back-to-back treys from Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) to stave off the Wagner (9-12, 2-8 NEC) comeback.

Bennett recorded a game-high 17 points and added ten rebounds for her third-straight double-double while Ankoma-Mensa accomplished the feat for the first time in her career with 12 points and ten boards. Sophomores Soper and Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) also scored in double-figures with 11 and 10, respectively.    

As a team, the Bulldogs shot 37.5 percent from the floor en route to their third-straight victory while the Seahawks shot at a 25 percent clip.

The game opened with over two minutes of scoreless play until Soper put the Bulldogs on the board with a 3-pointer from the corner. From there, Bennett kept up the Bryant attack with a strong drive to the basket, giving the home side the early 5-0 advantage at the 16:01 mark.

Wagner rebounded from the slow start, led by seven quick points from Stephanie McBride, and the squads traded buckets for eight lead changes until an Ankoma-Mensa lay-up put the Bulldogs on top, 22-21, with 4:15 remaining. Following a Katie Whittington (Twisnburg, Ohio) trey, Bryant ended the half on a 9-3 run for the 29-24 lead at the half.

Ankoma-Mensa paced the home team with ten points in the first half while Bennett chipped in with eight boards.

After intermission, the Bulldogs picked up right where they left off as Soper picked off a pass at half-court and pushed the ball to Douglas for the easy lay-in, giving the home team a 36-26 lead with 16:19 left to play. Bryant added to the stretch for a 12-2 run in the opening nine minutes of action until the Seahawks scored their first field goal of the stanza on a lay-up by Brittany Thorpe, trimming the Bulldog advantage to 40-28 at the 12:35 mark.  

Wagner kept up the offensive pressure over the course of the half until Marie-Laurence Archambault hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one, 47-46, with 4:49 remaining. The Bulldogs answered right back with a lay-in by Bennett to push the lead back up to three. On the next play, Bennett rejected a shot at the defensive end, leading to back-to-back 3-pointers by Soper for the nine-point home advantage as the Bulldogs went on to pick up the 61-51 victory.

The Black and Gold return to NEC action on Saturday, Feb. 5 when they travel to take on Saint Francis (PA) at noon.