Bulldogs look for Brooklyn weekend sweep

Bulldogs look for Brooklyn weekend sweep

Full Game Notes
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SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Fresh off a bounce-back win against one team from the Brooklyn area in St. Francis (NY) two days ago, the Bryant University women's basketball team looks to sweep its two-game weekend series in the New York metropolitan area Monday evening against the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds.

SERIES HISTORY 

The Bulldogs have faced off against LIU Brooklyn on four occasions, as the schools have battled twice a year in the past two seasons. The Blackbirds took the first two games back in 2009-10, but the Bulldogs returned the favor last year by sweeping the season series. The Blackbirds were among the top teams in the conference in 2010-11, but that did not deter Bryant, who first picked up an exhilarating, one-point win (45-44) at the Chace Athletic Center on Jan. 10, 2011. Then, in the season finale, the Bulldogs came away with a 65-56 victory at the Wellness Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Feb. 28, 2011.

LAST TIME OUT: BULLDOGS TAME TERRIERS

 Thanks to its best shooting effort from the field to date in the 2011-12 season, the Bulldogs picked up a 55-45 win against St. Francis College on Saturday afternoon.

By virtue of their 47.7 percent clip on 21-of-44 shooting, the Bulldogs matched their single-season high in victories since joining the Division I ranks in 2008-09. The Terriers lived up to their billing as one of the top defensive teams in the conference, but could not answer a late Bryant run that sealed the deal for the visitors.

What was once a 14-point Bryant advantage quickly evaporated to six midway through the second half, but the Black and Gold responded with six straight points and held St. Francis without a field goal over a span of 6:54 to keep the Bulldogs perfect against the Terriers in the all-time series.

Junior guard Danielle Douglas was sharp once again for the Bulldogs by leading both sides with 16 points while going 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Joining her in double figures was classmate Meredith Soper, who added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa tied Soper with eight boards on the day, as well.

SCOUTING THE BLACKBIRDS

After getting off to one of the best starts in the league by winning 12 of its first 14 games, LIU Brooklyn has gone 4-5 since Jan. 7, but most recently downed CCSU, 57-43, on Feb. 4 at home. The Blackbirds were coming off a sweep on the road against Saint Francis (PA) and Robert Morris before that win.

The Blackbirds have gone as senior Ashley Palmer has gone. The preseason All-NEC Team member will cap off a phenomenal career after this season. She already leads the team and league with 18.3 ppg while ranking ninth in the NEC averaging 7.4 rpg. Palmer recently overtook the school's No. 1 spot on the all-time list in scoring, while classmate Kiara Evans's 114 assists (fourth-most in the NEC) this season moved her into the top spot in the school record book in helpers.

LIU has had four comeback wins this year, most recently erasing a 13-point first-half deficit to down Mount St. Mary's, 69-45, on Jan. 21. The Blackbirds came back from a double-digit deficit against Tennessee Tech and a six-point deficit against Oklahoma State. The Blackbirds have scored 60 or more points on 15 separate occasions this season and have won 14 games.

LAST YEAR AGAINST THE BLACKBIRDS

Jan. 10, 2011 - at Bryant (45-44 win)

Down by one point with five seconds left in the game, junior Brittany Stahura stepped up to the charity stripe and drilled a pair of free throws to give Bryant the late lead and eventual victory as the Bulldogs downed Long Island, 45-44, at the Chace Athletic Center.

The late-game heroics by Stahura were set up on the previous Bryant possession when sophomore Katie Whittington hit a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left on the clock to pull the Bulldogs within one, 44-43. Following Stahura's free throws, Kiara Evans made a driving run to the basket in the final seconds of the contest but her layup rimmed out, allowing the Bulldogs to pick up their second-straight conference victory.    

Stahura's clutch free shots capped off a big day for the junior, who matched a career-high with 15 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Senior Siamone Bennett also recorded double-figures with 10 points and seven boards while freshman Naana Ankoma-Mensa added eight rebounds.  

Feb. 28, 2011 - at LIU Brooklyn (65-56 win)

Senior Siamone Bennett netted a game-high 16 points and sophomore Meredith Soper grabbed a contest-high 12 boards as the Bulldogs downed Long Island, 65-56, Monday night at the Wellness Center in the final game of the 2010-11 season.

With a three point lead and 1:10 remaining in the contest, freshman Jenniqua Bailey took the ball at the top of the key and drove hard to the basket to give the Bulldogs a strong five-point advantage. Sophomore Katie Whittington took care of the rest, icing six clutch free throws en route to the upset victory.  

Bennett added nine rebounds and a pair of blocks to her 16 points while Bailey and Whittington rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 and 11, respectively. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 48.8 percent from the floor including 57.9 percent (11-19) in the second half.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR STAY

Bryant recently wrapped up a season-long four-game home stretch that lasted from Jan. 21 to Jan. 30. The Bulldogs began a three-game road trip this weekend, and do not return home until Feb. 15 against Sacred Heart. Bryant is 6-5 in 11 road games this season, a huge improvement from its 3-13 road record in 2010-11.

SHE'S HEATING UP

Bulldog junior guard Danielle Douglas, the team's lead returning scorer from a year ago, has reclaimed that honor with 16 points in her last outing and now leads the team with 12.4 ppg. Since January, the Silver Spring, Md., native leads all Bryant players with 141 points in 10 games (14.1 ppg).

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT

After registering poor shooting percentages from the field in back-to-back outings over the previous weekend, the Bulldogs went 21-for-44 for a season-high 47.7 percent field goal clip in their victory against the Terriers on Saturday.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LONG BALL?

Since shooting a respectable 4-for-13 (.308) from downtown against CCSU on Jan. 23, the Bulldogs have gone a woeful 5-for-36 (.139) over the last three games from long range. Junior Katie Whittington has made two of those treys (2-16). 

In this span of cold shooting from the outside, Bryant has fallen to 10th place in the league in three-point shooting (.299) and a tie for eighth in average three-pointers made per game (4.09), two categories that the Bulldogs ranked among the top third in the league earlier this season.

DOING MORE WITH LESS

The Bulldogs haven't eclipsed the 60-point mark since a 75-62 loss against CCSU on Jan. 23. In the last three games, the Bulldogs have gone 2-1, and in both of those wins the Black and Gold scored an identical 55 points (Monmouth, SFNY), while scoring just 43 points in defeat against FDU on Jan. 30.

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.