Iona drops Bryant 66-53

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team suffered a 66-53 setback against Iona College in its home opener on Tuesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (1-1) were able to erase an 11-point deficit midway through the first half, but the Gaels (2-1) managed to pull away for good in the second frame to win the first-ever match played between both programs.

The contest was defined by sloppiness throughout the evening, as both teams combined for a whopping 55 turnovers.  Iona was the more opportunistic team off giveaways, garnering 23 points off turnovers compared to 10 for the Bulldogs.

Bryant saw impressive outings off the bench from junior Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) and sophomore Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.).  Both players combined for nearly half of the Bulldogs' total offensive output, with Whittington amassing a game-high 16 points, while Schissler strung together an 11-point night.

The lone other Bulldog to record a double-digit night was junior Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.), who finished with 13 points and a team-high nine boards.  The Massachusetts native came up with three of Bryant's 13 steals, with Whittington and senior Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) also totaling three takeaways.

Bryant emerged from the locker room trailing by just four to start the second half, and a three-pointer by Whittington brought Bryant to within a point at 31-30, but the Gaels took control by virtue of a 14-3 run that saw them take a commanding 45-33 lead with 13:31 to go.

But the Bulldogs did not go quietly, scoring six unanswered points to cut Iona's lead in half, but the Gaels responded with an 11-1 run to take a 17-point lead at 57-40 with just under six minutes to play.  

The home team responded with six straight points, but Iona struck right back with seven straight of its own, increasing the lead to a game-high 18 points before the Bulldogs ended the night with back-to-back baskets before the final buzzer sounded.

­­­­­The early goings of the contest saw stingy defenses, as both squads combined for just 15 points in the opening seven minutes.  But as the half wore on, both offenses began to click, with the Gaels jumping out to a seven-point lead with less than seven minutes to go in the frame. 

Damika Martinez led all players in scoring in the first frame, totaling nine points on a 3-for-8 clip from the field to pace the Gaels.  The Bulldogs, meanwhile, were led by Soper, who garnered three baskets and went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.  As a team, the Bulldogs shot an impressive 85.7 percent in free throws in the first half, while going 1-for-4 from long range.

After Iona built a game-high 11-point lead with 5:22 to go in the first, Bryant answered with a 6-0 run to claw back to within five points.  After Tomica Bacic connected from long range to extend Iona's lead to eight, the Bulldogs closed out the half by scoring the final four points to close out the first frame trailing by just four.

Bryant finished the game shooting 29.0 percent from the field on a 17-for-62 clip, while the Gaels made 26-of-59 for a 44.1 percent mark.  The Bulldogs did finish shooting 70.0 percent from the free-throw line (14-20), while rebounds were even at 43 apiece.  

Iona led the game with 18 steals over 13 for Bryant; the Gaels also earned seven blocks, while the Bulldogs finished with four.

Up next for the Black and Gold is a trip to Orono, Maine, for a date against the University of Maine this Saturday (Nov. 19) afternoon.  Opening tip is set for 1 p.m.

For continuing coverage of Bryant University women's basketball, check back at www.bryantbulldogs.com, and be sure to follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.