Bulldogs look for third-straight win

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LOOKS TO STAY HOT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT IONA (7 PM)

GAME NOTES

ON TAP AT THE HYNES CENTER

The Bryant University women's basketball program continues its 2012-13 campaign when its heads to New Rochelle, N.Y., for a showdown with Iona College Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY

The Bulldogs and Gaels have faced-off just once in Bryant's brief Division I history, with Iona coming out victorious, 66-53, last November in Smithfield. 

LAST SEASON IN SMITHFIELD

The Bryant University women's basketball team suffered a 66-53 setback against Iona College in its home opener on Tuesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Bryant saw impressive outings off the bench from junior Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) and sophomore Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.).  Both players combined for nearly half of the Bulldogs' total offensive output, with Whittington amassing a game-high 16 points, while Schissler strung together an 11-point night.

The lone other Bulldog to record a double-digit night was junior Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.), who finished with 13 points and a team-high nine boards.  The Massachusetts native came up with three of Bryant's 13 steals, with Whittington and senior Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) also totaling three takeaways.

Bryant emerged from the locker room trailing by just four to start the second half, and a three-pointer by Whittington brought Bryant to within a point at 31-30, but the Gaels took control by virtue of a 14-3 run that saw them take a commanding 45-33 lead with 13:31 to go.

But the Bulldogs did not go quietly, scoring six unanswered points to cut Iona's lead in half, but the Gaels responded with an 11-1 run to take a 17-point lead at 57-40 with just under six minutes to play.  The home team responded with six straight points, but Iona struck right back with seven straight of its own, increasing the lead to a game-high 18 points before the Bulldogs ended the night with back-to-back baskets before the final buzzer sounded.

SCOUTING THE GAELS

The Gaels enter Wednesday's action with a 3-4 overall mark, most recently defeating Northeast Conference-foe Wagner, 74-64, on Saturday.

Led by a pair of sophomores, Damika Martinez and Aleesha Powell, Iona was selected to finish eighth in the Preseason MAAC Coaches Poll. Martinez, the defending MAAC Rookie of the Year was selected as a preseason first-teamer, while Powell was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team.

Martinez currently leads the Gaels, averaging 16.9 points per game and ranks second on Iona with 5.7 rebounds per game. Freshman Joy Adams is tops in rebounding at 8.6 rpg, adding 11.6 ppg, while Powell is averaging 6.9 ppg and 3 assists per contest.

The Gaels enter Wednesday's action after opening their 2012-13 campaign with 2 of their first 5 games against ranked opponents (3 Duke and 18 St. John's). Iona has notched victories against Navy, Long Beach St. and most recently, Wagner.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will head back to Smithfield for a pair of home games, Monday, Dec. 10 against Maine (7 p.m.) and Friday, Dec. 21 against Holy Cross (11 a.m.).