BULLDOGS LOOK TO EVEN UP NEC RECORD, VISIT ROBERT MORRIS MONDAY AT 7 PM

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. – The Bryant University women's basketball team looks to bounce back on the second game of a swing through the Keystone State as they visit Northeast Conference foe Robert Morris on Monday, Feb. 7 for a 7:00 p.m. matchup. The Bulldogs dipped to 8-14 overall and 5-6 in the Northeast Conference after falling at Saint Francis (PA), 73-59, Saturday afternoon.

THE SERIES
Monday's game will be the third meeting all-time for the two programs as the Bulldogs and Colonials have met once every season since Bryant made the transition to Division I in 2008. The Colonials hold a 2-0 lead in the series after pulling off a 74-72 win in last year's meeting at the Chace Athletic Center. Robert Morris also topped the Bulldogs, 91-80, in the inaugural meeting despite four Bryant players in double-figures.

BRYANT LAST TIME OUT
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.  

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris is 12-9 on the season and 9-2 in the Northeast Conference after picking up a 54-51 victory over Central Connecticut Saturday afternoon. The Colonials had two players record a double-double for the first time this season as freshman Artemis Spanou had a game-high 17 points and ten rebounds while Mary Durojaye registered 12 points and 11 boards. As a team, the Colonials are averaging 61.1 points per game and allowing 59.5 ppg. Yohanna Morton leads the team with 14.1 points per game while Spanou and Kristine Silaraja add 11.7 and 11.4, respectively. Spanou is the team's top rebounder with 9.1 points per game.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs dipped to 5-6 in the NEC after a loss at Saint Francis (PA) broke up a three-game win streak that saw the Black and Gold even up their conference record. Bryant is now 5-1 at home and 0-5 on the road in conference play this winter. 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.

BENNETT EARNS NEC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior forward Siamone Bennett was named the Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 1, along with Sacred Heart's Maggie Cosgrove. Spearheading Bryant's winning effort in back-to-back games, Bennett turned in double-doubles against Mount St. Mary's and Wagner. Bennett's monster two-game sample yielded an average of 20.5 points and 10.0 rebounds as the Bulldogs evened their NEC record at 5-5. The senior scored a season-high 24 points, accounting for her third 20-point game of the year, in a 79-76 overtime victory over the Mount.  She made 9 of 17 field goal attempts, nailed 6 of 7 free throws, and capped the home win with a key three in overtime.  Bennett's conventional three-point play extended the Bulldogs' lead to 77-72 with 1:48 remaining in the extra session.  Bennett went for 17 points and 10 rebounds to lift Bryant over Wagner two nights later.  The 6-foot-2 forward is the second Bulldog ever to win the Choice Hotels Player of the Week award, joining the likes of former all-NEC first team forward Kelsey O'Keefe who captured the honor on February 15, 2010.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
With 48 team rebounds against Saint Francis (PA) for the second time in as many games, the Black and Gold won the battle of the boards for the 16th time this season as they have outrebounded their opponent in seven out of eight wins. The Bulldogs rank second in the NEC with 42.4 rebounds per game, just behind Long Island at 42.6. Individually, Siamone Bennett and Brittany Stahura rank first and fourth in offensive rebounds with 3.68 and 3.32, respectively. 

UP NEXT
Following Monday's road game t Robert Morris, the Black and Gold enter NEC rivalry week on Saturday, Feb. 12 with a home contest against Central Connecticut at 1:00 p.m.