BULLDOGS FALL TO SHARPSHOOTING COLONIALS, 64-45, IN NEC ACTION MONDAY NIGHT

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. - Despite back-to-back scores from Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) to chip the lead down to one point in the second half, the scoring attack of Robert Morris proved to be too much to handle for the Bryant University women's basketball team as the Bulldogs fell, 64-45, Monday night in Northeast Conference play at the Sewall Center.

Bryant (8-15, 5-7 NEC) was led offensively by Meredith Soper's (Winthrop, Mass.) 14 points and eight rebounds while freshman Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ontario) added eight points and nine boards. The Bulldogs outrebounded the home side by a margin of 42-40 while 19 of those boards were of the offensive variety.    

Robert Morris (13-9, 10-2) was paced by the combination of Jasmine Tate, who tied a school record with eight steals, and Artemis Spanou, who poured in a career-high 23 points, including 20 in the second half. As a team, the Colonials shot 47.2 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the field in the second half on 15-for-25 shooting.   

The opening nine minutes of the game featured even scoring as the two teams swapped baskets as well as defensive stops, headlined by impressive blocks from Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) and Ankoma-Mensa. Robert Morris broke up the neck-and-neck play with a 9-0 run, capped off with a jumper from Kelly Hartwell to put the home side on top, 15-7, at the 9:25 mark.

The Bulldogs responded with a 10-2 run, starting with seven unanswered points, as a pair of consecutive 3-pointers from Lindsey Hudspeth (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and Soper tied it all up at 17-17 with 5:52 remaining. The Colonials ended the opening stanza with a 7-1 stretch for the 24-18 advantage at halftime. Soper paced all scorers with eight points and added five boards while Destiny Harrison led the home squad with six tallies.

After Robert Morris opened the second half with an early lay-in, Bryant's shots started to fall as the visitors chipped away until Douglas scored knocked down a 3-pointer and a driving lay-up, cutting the Colonial lead to one, 28-27, with 16:58 left to play. From there, Robert Morris pulled away on a 10-2 run as Spanou led the attack with eight points, including two treys during the stretch for the 38-29 lead at the 13:00 mark.

While the Colonials continued to make shots, the Bulldogs never let the home team get comfortable as threes by Mary Kate Tierney (Rochester, N.Y.) and Soper pulled the visitors within ten at the 6:15 mark but the home side kept up the offensive pressure and pulled away for the 64-45 win.

The Black and Gold head back to Smithfield, R.I. for the start of rivalry week as they welcome Central Connecticut to the Chace Athletic Center on Saturday, Feb. 12 for a 1:00 p.m. matchup.