Women's hoops opens 2012 with Army

Women's hoops opens 2012 with Army in non-conference finale Wednesday

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Date: Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2012
Time: 3:00 pm
Place: Chace Athletic Center, Smithfield, R.I.
Watch: www.bryantbulldogs.tv

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - With the 2011 calendar in its rear-view mirror and having set a new program high since joining the Division I ranks in victories through the first 12 games of the season, the Bryant University women's basketball team returns to the hardwood for the first time in the new year to welcome Army for its final non-conference tilt of the season.

THE SERIES

 The Bulldogs and Black Knights first met more than a quarter century ago, as Bryant took its first and only win in the all-time series back during the 1984-85 campaign, a 58-57 victory over Army.  
The Black Knights returned the favor last season in West Point, N.Y., however, handling the Bulldogs to even up the all-time record by means of a 66-55 win.

LAST TIME OUT: LIONS ROAR PAST BULLDOGS IN BIG APPLE

Bryant nearly completed a remarkable comeback, but Columbia University outscored the Bulldogs by a 43-38 margin in the second half, as the Lions earned a dramatic 77-74 victory over Bryant on Dec. 30 in New York.

Trailing by seven points with 3:03 left in regulation, the Bulldogs tacked on six points in 36 seconds to trim what was once a 16-point lead to one, but the Lions were able to muster just enough to keep the visitors at bay, as Columbia picked up just its second win of the season in the first-ever matchup between both programs.

Juniors Meredith Soper and Danielle Douglas combined for 38 points, with Soper leading the team with 16 of her 20 points in the second half alone, but it was not enough to overcome 17 points from Columbia's Melissa Shafer, who did all of her damage in the second frame while leading all players with four three-pointers.  Bryant also registered a season-high 42.6 percent clip from the field, but went only 2-for-17 from downtown in defeat.

SCOUTING THE BLACK KNIGHTS

Entering Tuesday with a 6-8 record, Army has dropped its last two games by a combined four points, while falling in six straight matches overall. The Black Knights most recently were edged, 63-62, by Yale on Jan. 1 following a three-point loss against NEC foe Quinnipiac.  Army is 0-4 in games decided by three points or less this season.

Army's six wins this season have come by an average of 17.3 points per game, but the Black Knights are just 1-5 on the road this year, with the team's lone win away from West Point, N.Y. coming on Nov. 16 at St. Francis (NY), a 59-43 win.

Army's second-leading scorer from a year ago, sophomore Jen Hazlett has emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the Patriot League this season. Hazlett has scored in double figures in all but three games, led Army in scoring nine times, scored at least 20 points twice and came up with her first career double-double (19 points, 12 rebounds) in a win over Hawaii earlier this year. Hazlett ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring (13.2 ppg), third in three-point percentage (.400), fourth in field goal percentage (.459) and fifth in rebounds (6.9 rpg). 

LAST YEAR IN WEST POINT, N.Y.

Senior Siamone Bennett scored 12 points and added eight rebounds for the near double-double but it was not enough to hold off the sharpshooting Black Knights as the Bryant University women's basketball team fell at Army, 66-55, on Jan. 3, 2011 at Christl Arena.

The Black Knights benefited from a big first half as they shot 70 percent from beyond the arc to establish a strong lead while senior Erin Anthony led all scorers with 19 points. Army went on to shoot 60 percent from 3-point range in the contest and had a total of four players in double figures.    

Freshman Jenniqua Bailey also had a strong game for the Bulldogs as she scored all 13 of her points in the second half to keep the pressure on the home squad. Freshman Naana Ankoma-Mensa  contributed with eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 36 percent from the floor in the contest and outrebounded the Black Knights by a margin of 40-32.     

HOME AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

After playing just one game within the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center in the month of December and after playing eight of its first 12 games this season on the road, Bryant will finally get to spend some time in Smithfield in the coming weeks.

After hosting Army today, the Bulldogs will welcome Keystone State opponents Saint Francis (PA) and Robert Morris for a pair of NEC showdowns on Saturday, Jan. 7 and Monday, Jan. 9, respectively.  The Bulldogs will make its only road trip of the month the following weekend when they take on Mount St. Mary's (Jan. 14) and Wagner (Jan. 16), but after that the team will open a season-long four-game home streak that will take them through the rest of January.

The Bulldogs have posted a 3-1 record at the Chace so far this year, with wins over Brown (64-49); URI (75-62) and Lafayette (56-48) with one loss to Iona.  

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Even in defeat, Bryant did make some history on the season in its loss at Columbia on Dec. 30.

For starters, the Bulldogs lost a game for the first time this year when they held a lead after the first half.  It was also Bryant's first loss that was decided by five points or less; the only other contest played this year that was decided in similar circumstances was the season opener, a 76-74 Bryant win at Colgate.

Furthermore, Bryant accomplished all of the following but still lost for the first time this year when doing so: shot better than 40 percent (42.6 %); scored over 70 points (74); and out-shooting an opponent by shooting percentage (42.6 to 37.5 %).  It was even Bryant's first loss on a Sunday this year (1-1).

WHAT A TURNOVER-AROUND

After struggling in the turnover department for the first few games of the season mightily, the Bulldogs now own a +1.58 turnover margin average on the year, averaging 18.5 giveaways per game while opponents have registered a 20.1 mark.

The Bulldogs rank second in the NEC in turnover margin and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (0.75).

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?

Bryant University Athletics offers more ways than ever before to watch, listen or follow your Bulldogs during all the action even when you can't make it to the court!  Head to www.bryantbulldogs.tv for information about single-game and full- season broadcasting packages, where you can watch webcasts of the Bulldogs for most home games.  Live stats can be found at www.bryantbulldogs.com for every contest, and you can follow @BryantGameday on Twitter for score updates.