Hinck drops 18, Bulldogs fall to SFU

Senior Kaitlyn Hinck drops career-high 18 points, but SFU holds on for 85-73 win

LORETTO, Pa. – Five players registered double-digit scoring figures – including a career 18-point outing from senior Kaitlyn Hinck (Bow, N.H.) – but the Bryant University women's basketball team fell for the fourth straight game, dropping an 85-73 decision to Saint Francis (PA) on Saturday afternoon at DeGol Arena.

Back-to-back treys cut the deficit to seven with less than two minutes to play, but the Bulldogs (13-13, 6-9 Northeast Conference) could not rally from was at once a 17-point lead for the Red Flash (12-14, 9-6 NEC), who even the season series after Bryant won earlier in the season in Smithfield.

Hinck – a senior walk-on who joined the squad in December – put on a show in front of the 1,136 that were in attendance on Saturday, finishing 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-6 from long range. The New Hampshire native was perfect from the stripe (3-for-3) while seeing action for a career-high 23 minutes.

Joining her in double figures was sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.). The forward dropped 13 points while collecting a side-high three steals and hauled down six rebounds to lead the Bulldogs in the paint. Sophomore Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) chipped in 12 points – including a pair of treys - and added a steal as well.

Senior Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) dished a team- and career-high nine assists while scoring 11 points, finishing one helper shy of an unconventional double-double. Junior Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) rounded out the group with 10 points and three boards.

Saint Francis also boasted four double-digit scorers, as Alli Williams led the pack with 16 points and a game-high 13 boards to record the game's lone double-double. Sarah Thorn also dropped 16 points while going 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Finishing with 11 points apiece were Alexa Hayward and Nickia Gibbs, as the former went 3-for-9 from long range to lead the Red Flash.

The Bulldogs shot a respectable 43.9 percent (25-57) from the field over the course of the game – including 10-of-24 (.417) from downtown, but free throw shooting hampered the visitors, as Bryant went just 13-for-23 (.565) from the stripe.

The Red Flash, meanwhile, shot an even 50 percent (30-60) from the field and 7-for-18 (.389) from long range while using an 18-for-22 (.818) mark from the charity stripe to seal the victory.

Post play was controlled by the home side, as SFU edged Bryant in rebounding by a 41-30 margin and outscored the Bulldogs, 36-24, in the paint. Both teams amassed 20 turnovers, while the home side totaled three blocks to Bryant's none.

After the Red Flash scored eight straight points to start the game, the Bulldogs responded with a 7-2 run that brought them to within three (10-7) at the 15:58 mark of the first frame. But the home side promptly went on a 12-5 run that put them ahead, 22-12, at the 15:34 mark of the half.

Bryant scored eight straight points to trim SFU's lead down to a pair (22-20) midway through the first half. Hinck gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game with a three from the left wing, and the senior came up with a big steal to spring Ankoma-Mensa for a layup that made it a 27-24 Bryant lead with 7:50 to play.

But the Red Flash regained control with a 9-2 run that put them ahead by a 33-29 margin with 3:28 remaining in the first half. Both teams continued to pile on the points, as Saint Francis closed the half on a 10-7 run to take a seven-point (43-36) lead at the break.

Both teams finished with shooting percentages in the 40s in the first half, as Bryant shot 12-of-28 (.429) while SFU dropped 15-of-32 (.469) from the field. Both sides also used the long ball to their advantage in the frame, as Bryant went 4-for-12 (.333) from the outside compared to 6-for-13 (.426) for Saint Francis.

Turnovers were a plague for the Bulldogs at the start of the second half, as the Red Flash capitalized on five Bryant giveaways to take a game-high 12-point lead (51-39) and prompt a Bryant timeout at 15:43.

The Bulldogs continued to chip away, but Saint Francis answered each basket to maintain a double-digit lead, as the home team held a 70-57 advantage with 7:37 to go in the second half.

After getting into foul trouble, the Bulldogs managed to slice their deficit to 11 points with less than four minutes to play, but a three-pointer from Gibbs gave the home side an insurmountable 14-point lead with 3:12 remaining. From that point on, Saint Francis was able to fend off the Bulldogs to secure the win.

Bryant wraps up its longest trip away from Smithfield with its final road contest of the season on Monday night. The Bulldogs look for the season sweep of Robert Morris on Feb. 20 at the Sewall Center. Tipoff against the Colonials is set for 7 p.m.

For continuing coverage of Bryant University women's basketball, check back online at www.bryantbulldogs.com; also follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.