BULLDOGS FALL AT SAINT FRANCIS (PA), 73-59, IN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE PLAY SATURDAY AFTERNOON

LORETTO, Pa. – The all-around effort of reigning Northeast Conference champion Saint Francis (PA) proved to be too much for the Bryant University women's basketball team as the Bulldogs broke a three-game winning streak after falling, 73-59, Saturday afternoon in NEC action at DeGol Arena.

Sophomore Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) paced the Bulldogs offensively with 11 points and seven rebounds while junior Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) and freshman Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) added eight points apiece. As a team, Bryant (8-14, 5-5 NEC) shot 37.1 percent from the floor.

Saint Francis (14-9, 9-2 NEC) benefited from Bryant's inability to hang onto the ball as the Red Flash scored 26 points off a season-high 31 Bulldog turnovers. Samantha Leach led the Red Flash scoring attack with a game-high 16 points while three other Red Flash players reached double-figures.  

After an opening Red Flash basket, the two teams played neck-and-neck until a pair of quick layups by Allison Daly and Brittany Lilley put the home team on top, 8-4, at the 15:49 mark. The consecutive scores started a 10-0 run for the Red Flash until Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) halted Bryant's scoring skid with a putback down low, trimming the deficit to 14-6 with 14 minutes left in the half.

Following the early setback, Bryant regrouped and chipped away over the next nine minutes as a driving lay-up by Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) capped a 7-0 run by the visitors as they climbed to within ten, 29-19, with 4:48 remaining. Despite another 7-0 run by the Bulldogs, the home side maintained the ten-point advantage for the 42-32 lead at halftime.

Bryant's ability to comeback from the early deficit was due in large part to the play of Bailey who paced the Bulldogs with eight points in the opening 20 minutes as she shot 4-for-6 from the field. Fellow rookie Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ontario) led all players with seven boards in the first stanza. Saint Francis's Leach led all scorers with 11 points at the half on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor. As a team, the Red Flash shot at a 50 percent clip, shooting 17-for-34 from the field.

Similar to the first half, the teams opened the second stanza by trading baskets until Saint Francis put together a 12-0 run to give the home side the 58-36 edge with 14:48 remaining. Senior Lindsey Hudspeth (Mount Laurel, N.J.) provided a spark for the Bulldogs as she came off the bench and drilled a couple of 3-pointers while Soper added a pair of 3-point plays. Freshman Stephanie Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) and sophomore Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) contributed to the long range efforts with a 3-pointer apiece but it would not be enough as the Red Flash went on the claim the 73-59 victory.  

The Black and Gold continue through the Keystone State as they head to Moon Township, Pa. on Monday, Feb. 7 for a game against Robert Morris at 7:00 p.m.