Bulldogs fall to Crusaders, 82-62

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Bryant University women's basketball team's two-game winning streak came to an end against Holy Cross on Wednesday afternoon, as the squad dropped an 82-62 decision at the Hart Recreation Center.

The Bulldogs (6-4) could not overcome a season-low 25.4 percent field-goal clip from the field on just 18-of-71 shooting, while the Crusaders (6-5) dropped 31-of-59 for a season-high 52.5 percent from the floor to move to 5-1 against Bryant in the all-time series.

After falling behind by 15 in the first half, the home team kept their lead comfortably intact throughout most of the second frame, using a fast-paced and pass-happy offense to spread the ball all over the floor, helping the Crusaders earn 27 assists – 10 more than the previous season-high for a Bryant opponent – in their winning effort.

Bryant's scoring came mostly from two players, as juniors Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) and Danielle Douglas (Silver Springs, Md.) combined for 27 of the team's 62 points, with the former edging the latter as the duo garnered 15 and 13 points, respectively.  

More impressively for Whittington was her perfect 10-of-10 clip from the free-throw line, marking the first time a player had made 10 or more free throws since former Bulldog great Kelsey O'Keefe did so on Feb. 23, 2009.

Sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) saw her three-game double-double streak come to an end, finishing the game with eight points and a team-leading seven boards.

Four Crusaders reached the double-digit mark in scoring, with Amy Lepley leading all players with 18 points while Alex Smith earned a game-high eight boards.

Post play, normally a strong suite for the Bulldogs – was not their forte on Wednesday, as Holy Cross held a commanding 52-33 lead in total boards, setting a new season high for rebounds allowed against an opponent.  Bryant's 33 boards accounted for a new season low.

One of Bryant's few bright spots came in the form of its free-throw shooting, in which the Bulldogs produced an 84.0 percent clip on 21-of-25 shooting from the charity stripe, marking the team's best effort yet at the line.  Another positive was evident in the team's control of the ball; the Bulldogs accumulated a season-low eight turnovers on the afternoon.

Holy Cross, meanwhile, hardly missed from the floor, as the team's 82 points scored and 31 field goals made both were the most yet this season for a Bryant opponent.

After earning control off the opening tip, Whittington did not wait long to give the Bulldogs a lead, nailing a three-ball to give the visitors an early 3-0 lead.  But Holy Cross responded by scoring the next 14 points to take a 14-3 lead before the first media timeout at 15:45.  Some cold shooting from the field could be to blame for that slump, as Bryant missed its next 12 shots after Whittington's first bucket.

Three-pointers from sophomores Steph Cardamone (Dayton, N.J.) and Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) bookended a Holy Cross layup to bring the Bulldogs to within 13 points at the second break, as the visitors trailed 25-13 with over 11 minutes to go in the half.

Both teams exchanged baskets up and down the court, but junior Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) and Whittington nailed back-to-back shots to pull Bryant to within 10 at 6:34, trailing 29-19.  The Bulldogs kept pushing, making it a 31-23 game with five to go in the first frame, but Holy Cross used an 14-7 run to finish the half ahead by 15 points, taking a 45-30 lead into the locker room.

Holy Cross came out firing after the break, pushing its lead to 54-32 in the opening five minutes with Emily Parker pacing the team with a pair of layups and a three-ball from Lepley.  Bryant responded by scoring eight of the next 12 points, with Douglas doing most of the damage on a long jumper and her first trey of the game.

The Crusaders would not relent, keeping at least an 18-point cushion for the remainder of the game while pushing their lead to 66-46 with just under 10 minutes to go in the half.  The closest Bryant would claw to would be within 18 points with 9:08 to go, but the home team remained comfortably ahead the rest of the way.

Following the holidays, Bryant returns to action with two games on the road next week to round out the calendar year.  First up is a trip to conference foe Central Connecticut next Wednesday (Dec. 28) before traveling down to New York City for the program's first-ever bout against Columbia University on Dec. 30.

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.