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Women enter home stretch against SFNY
Posted: Feb 04, 2012

Women enter home stretch against SFNY

Recap Box Score
Game Leaders
Bryant
Pts: Danielle Douglas - 16
Reb: 2 Players (#15, #22) - 8
Ast: Danielle Douglas - 5
St. Francis Brooklyn
Pts: BENEDETTI, Sarah - 13
Reb: KAUFMAN, Jessica - 7
Ast: KAUFMAN, Jessica - 4
Team Stats
Full stats

Bulldogs head into home stretch in February with Saturday bout against SFNY

Full Game Notes
Watch/Listen: Game Central
Live Stats: www.SFCAthletics.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - With exactly eight games left in the regular season, the Bryant University women's basketball team heads into the home stretch and the month of February with a pair of games in the New York metropolitan area on Super Bowl weekend. The Bulldogs take on St. Francis (NY) on Saturday (Feb. 4) afternoon before closing out the trip against LIU Brooklyn on Monday (Feb. 6) night.

SERIES HISTORY

Dating back to the 2008-09 season, the Bulldogs have owned the Terriers since the program joined Division I. Bryant owns a perfect 5-0 record all-time against St. Francis (NY) - including a 2-0 mark at the Pope Physical Education Center. Last season, the Bulldogs swept the season series against the Terriers for the second straight year, including a 53-49 win in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., on Feb. 26, 2011 and a 59-48 victory at the Chace Athletic Center on Jan. 8, 2011.

LAST TIME OUT: BULLDOGS FALL AT HOME TO FDU

Junior guard Danielle Douglas dropped a team-high 17 points, but it was not enough for the home side, as Fairleigh Dickinson handed the Bryant University women's basketball team a 54-43 defeat on Monday evening at the Chace Athletic Center, dropping the Bulldogs to 12-8 on the season and 5-5 in Northeast Conference play.

The win by the Knights marked the first time in seven meetings between both squads that the visiting team emerged victorious. After a slow start to the game, reigning First-Team All-NEC member Mariyah Laury exploded for a game-high 21 points, marking one of three players to finish the evening in double-digit scoring figures for FDU.

In addition to Douglas, the Bulldogs were led by Meredith Soper's game-high 12 rebounds. The junior also dished a team-high four assists. But a season-low 24.2 percent field goal clip (15-of-62) would doom the home team, and the Bulldogs continued to struggle from long range, finishing the game just 2-of-15 (.133) from beyond the arc.

FDU did not shoot significantly better, but the Knights' 32.1 percent mark from the field (17-of-53) was more than enough to propel them past the Bulldogs. The visitors managed a 2-of-11 mark from long range (.182), but the Knights thrived from the line, knocking down 18-of-21 from the charity stripe (.857).

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS

Sporting only three wins in 21 games this season, the Terriers have recently found success with two victories in their last four outings - including an impressive 70-62 win on th road against Robert Morris. A win against Wagner on Jan. 21 snapped a 13-game losing streak that spanned from Nov. 27 to Jan. 16.

No player averages in double digits for SFNY, with the top scoring honor belonging to Jaymee Veney, who paces the team with 8.7 ppg and 6.2 rpg, both team highs. Jessica Kaufman has chipped in 8.4 ppg, while Sarah Benedetti has been the team's best long-range shooter, going 38-of-110 (.364) from beyond the arc.

The Terriers' offense ranks at the bottom of the league (46.9 ppg), but their defense is third best in the conference, holding opponents to 58.5 ppg. St. Francis also shoots the three quite well, going 87-of-263 (.331) from downtown on the season, a mark that ranks second among all NEC teams. The Terriers have also surrendered the fewest rebounds in the league, ranking first with 33.3 rpg allowed.

LAST YEAR AGAINST THE TERRIERS

Jan. 8, 2011 - at Bryant

Sophomore Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) scored 18 points and sophomore Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) added 15 points as the Bryant University women's basketball team knocked off St. Francis (NY), 59-48, in Northeast Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (4-10, 1-2 NEC) benefited from a strong opening 20 minutes as the team used a 19-point halftime lead to help pick up their first conference win of the season. St. Francis (NY) fell to 2-11 overall and 0-3 in conference play with the loss.      
Douglas shot 6-for-12 from the floor and 6-for-8 at the free throw line for 18 points, one tally short of matching her career-high. Whittington was 3-for-5 from 3-point range while senior Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) chipped in with 10 point and five rebounds. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 46 percent from the field while the Terriers shot at a 33 percent clip.
Feb. 26, 2011 - at SFNY

Sophomore Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and six steals while freshman Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) added 11 points to lead the Bryant University women's basketball team past St. Francis (NY), 53-49, in Northeast Conference play Saturday afternoon at the Pope Physical Education Center. 

The Terriers chipped away at the lead late in the contest as a pair of driving scores from Jasmine Robinson pulled the home side within two with two seconds left in regulation, but Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) iced a couple of clutch free throws to secure the Bryant victory. 
Douglas was the other double-figure scorer for the Bulldogs as the Maryland native netted 10 points and seven assists while Autumn Lau and Ashley Wilcots paced the Terriers with 13 and 11, respectively.  

HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR STAY

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 recently wrapped up a season-long four-game home stretch that lasted from Jan. 21 to Jan. 30. Now, however, the Bulldogs hit the road for three straight games and do not return home until Feb. 15 against Sacred Heart.

The Bulldogs have posted a 7-4 record at the Chace this year, and are 28-19 (.596) in Smithfield since the start of the 2008-09 season.  Last year, Bryant went 7-6 with a 5-4 mark against NEC teams within the friendly confines of The Chace.
ICE, ICE, BABY

The Bulldogs managed a weekend split against a pair of New Jersey opponents during their last two outings, but in both games the Black and Gold logged alarmingly low shooting percentages, including a season-low 24.2 percent showing (15-of-62) in a loss against Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 30.

Even worse for Bryant was its three-point shooting over that span. The Bulldogs went a combined 3-for-28 (.107) in two games last weekend, including a 1-for-13 mark against Monmouth (Jan. 28). Those performances dropped the Bulldogs to last in the conference rankings in field goal percentage (.350) and eighth in three-point shooting (.300).
BETTER IN THE CLUTCH

For one reason or another, the Bulldogs have fared much better in closer games this season as opposed to lopsided results in either wins or loses. Bryant has posted a 7-2 record in games decided by less than 10 points and a 4-2 mark in contests decided by five points or less this season. On the other hand, the Bulldogs are only 5-7 in games in which the final margin of victory is 10 points or greater for either side.

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.