Turnovers hinder Bulldogs in 67-56 loss to Bobcats

ANKOMA-MENSA AND SOPER RECORD DOUBLE-DOUBLES, BULLDOGS FALL TO QUINNIPIAC IN NEC OPENER

HAMDEN, Conn. – Two Bulldogs recorded double-doubles Saturday afternoon in the 2011-12 Northeast Conference season opener, but 27 turnovers plagued the Bryant University women's basketball team as it fell to Quinnipiac, 67-56, on the road.

The contest was a tale of two halfs for both teams. The first featured clean play through much of the frame and kept a tight score throughout, but neither side came out the same in the second, as Bryant (4-3, 0-1 NEC) and Quinnipiac (5-2, 1-0) went a combined 15-for-64 in the final 20 minutes and committing a combined 25 second-session turnovers.

Katie Whittington got the scoring started for the Bulldogs, scoring eight of Bryant's 12 points as the visiting Black and Gold took their largest lead of the game right out of the gates, 10-4.

But the home Bobcats would quickly make up the difference, and neither team would take more than a two-possession lead until the 4:26 mark of the half, when Jasmine Martin drained a three to give Quinnipiac a 37-29 lead.

From there, the Bulldogs struggled to hang onto the ball, committing seven turnovers in the final four minutes while scoring just a pair of baskets – both from Naana Ankoma-Mensa – and going 2-for-6 from the field.

The downturn would give the Bobcats back their eight-point lead going into the break, 41-33. Bryant committed 12 turnovers in the first half alone, and continued to have a hard time taking care of the ball to open the second frame.

Bryant came out of the intermission with four-straight turnovers, allowing the home side to extend its lead to 13 points, 46-33, less than two minutes in. The giveaways would grow to 21 giveaways in the first nine minutes of the frame, but less than 30 percent shooting and seven turnovers from the Quinnipiac ranks kept the margin consistent through the opening stretch.

But for a span of 8:55 in the middle of the half, both teams went cold. Each side scored just a single basket over the stretch – a 3-pointer from Martin at the 13:08 mark and a layup by Danielle Douglas at 9:57 – bringing the score to 58-42 with 7:08 to play. The teams turned the ball over a combined 12 times in the stretch as well, with seven of them belonging to the Bulldogs.

Quinnipiac would take its largest advantage of the game at the 4:12 mark thanks to a layup from Gilliam Abshire, and while the scoring would be all Bryant in the final minutes – the Bulldogs outscored the Bobcats, 14-0, in the final four – the home side would end up on top, 67-56, in the conference opener.

All-in-all, the teams went a combined 15-for-64 (.234) from the field in the second session and both sides would finish shooting just above 30 percent on the day. The Bulldogs were paced by double-doubles from Ankoma-Mensa (15 points, game-high 15 rebounds) and Meredith Soper (14 points, 14 rebounds), while senior Brittany Stahura pulled in 11 boards of her own.

Bryant would commit 27 turnovers on the day with Quinnipiac giving away 14 but scoring 20 points off Bulldog miscues. The Bobcats put up 20 steals, led by Felicia Barron's double-double using the category (16 points, 12 steals). Brittany McQuain also had a double-double for the home side with 11 points and 11 boards.

Bryant returns to the court Wednesday (Nov. 7) in Hanover, N.H., where the team will take on Dartmouth College at 7 p.m.