BULLDOGS LOOK TO SPLIT NEC RIVALRY WEEK, VISIT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT MONDAY NIGHT

GAME NOTES

THE PARTICULARS
The Bryant University women's basketball team will make the trip to New Britain, Conn. on Monday night for the second of back-to-back games against Central Connecticut as part of the Northeast Conference's rivalry week (7 p.m.). The Bulldogs look to split the New England Knockout series after falling to the Blue Devils, 78-70, Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.  Fans can catch all the NEC action through either live video or live stats on www.ccsubluedevils.com.

THE SERIES
Saturday's game will be the sixth meeting between the two programs as the Bulldogs currently hold a 3-2 edge in the New England Knockout series, with all games played at the DI level. Central Connecticut kicked off the 2011 series on Saturday with a 78-70 victory in Smithfield, R.I. The Bulldogs and Blue Devils split last year's series with each team winning at home as Central Connecticut won, 73-59, on Feb. 6. Two days earlier, Bryant captured a 73-59 victory at the Chace Athletic Center as five players reached double-figures. The Black and Gold swept the first two matchups during the 2008-09 season in the program's first go-around at the Division I level. 

BRYANT LAST TIME OUT
Facing a 16-point deficit late in the first half and career numbers from Justina Udenze, the Bryant University women's basketball team stormed back to within two after halftime but it would not be enough as the Bulldogs fell to Central Connecticut, 78-70, in the opening contest of the Northeast Conference's rivalry week Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

Down by ten at the half, the perimeter shooting of sophomores Katie Whittington, Danielle Douglas  and Meredith Soper brought the Blue Devil advantage down to 40-38 just 3:26 into the second stanza but the Bulldogs could not get past the two-point deficit, falling to the conference rival in a physical matchup.    

Udenze led Central Connecticut (14-9, 7-6 NEC) with a career-high 29 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the floor while Leanne Crockett netted 21 points and 14 rebounds for the double-double.

Bryant (8-16, 5-8 NEC) was paced offensively by Douglas who scored 16 points including 3-for-3 from long distance while Whittington and Soper rounded out the double-figure efforts with 14 and 11, respectively. Five players drained at least one 3-pointer for the home squad as the team shot 56.3 percent from beyond the arc.   

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut is 14-9 on the season and 7-6 in the conference after topping Bryant on Saturday in the opening game of NEC rivalry week. The Blue and White were led offensively by Justina Udenze who poured in a career-high 29 points, including 19 in the first half, on 10-for-11 shooting from the floor. Leanne Crockett also chipped in with an impressive 21 points and 14 boards for the double-double. As a team, the Blue Devils are averaging 56.1 points per game and allowing 56.0 ppg. Kerrianne Dugan is the team's leading scorer with 10.2 points per game while Udenze is close behind with 9.9 ppg. Crockett is the club's best rebounder with 9.2 boards per contest.  

MORE ON NEC RIVALRY WEEK
With bragging rights at stake, the Northeast Conference's second-annual Rivalry Week is set to take flight, with six pairs of men's and women's hoops rivals set to meet in home-and-home contests from February 9-14. The innovative concept of playing back-to-back games against a local rival the same week is the only one of its kind among the nation's 31 NCAA Division I conferences.

FROM BEYOND THE ARC
The Bulldogs may have dropped the opening game of NEC rivalry week to Central Connecticut on Saturday but it had nothing to do with a lack of 3-pointers as the team hit a season-high nine treys (9-for-16). A total of five Bryant players drilled shots from beyond the arc including three each from sophomores Danielle Douglas and Katie Whittington while Meredith Soper, Mary Kate Tierney and Brittany Stahura added one apiece.  

BLACK AND BLUE CONNECTIONS
These two programs have a lot in common when it comes to the coaching staff and it all starts at the top. Bryant head coach Mary Burke was a standout player and All-American at Providence College which happens to be one of the former coaching stops for CCSU assistant, Kerri Reaves, who spent two stints on the Friar bench. Also, Bryant assistant Mark Caruso, now in his tenth season on the Bulldog bench, is a 1988 CCSU graduate while Blue Devil assistant Glenn Senecal is a former Bryant assistant coach.   

ROAD WOES
The Black and Gold have missed the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center this season, as their only win away from Smithfield, R.I. was against Air Force on Dec. 3 in the opening game of the Air Force Classic. Bryant is now 1-11 overall and 0-6 in conference games when on the road, while the team sports an impressive 5-2 conference home record this winter including a victory over NEC preseason favorite, Long Island.  

ON THE OFFENSIVE…GLASS
The Black and Gold have been masters of the boards this season, leading the conference in rebounding with 41.9 boards per game while the team also tops the league with 16.33 offensive rebounds per contest. Individually, Siamone Bennett and Brittany Stahura rank first and fifth in offensive rebounds with 3.58 and 3.17, respectively.