Bulldogs close 2012 at Army

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CLOSES 2012 AT WEST POINT, SUNDAY AT 1 PM

Game Notes

ON TAP AT CHRISTL ARENA
The Bryant University women's basketball program continues its 2012-13 campaign when it heads to West Point, N.Y., for a Sunday afternoon showdown with Army. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the third matchup between the two programs, after meeting in both of the past two seasons. Last season in Smithfield, the Bulldogs opened 2012 with a 64-54 victory over the Black Knights, while Army was victorious at West Point in the 2010-11 meeting, 66-55.

LAST SEASON IN SMITHFIELD
The Bryant University women's basketball team opened the New Year with an exciting 64-54 victory over the visiting Army Black Knights.

With a one-point lead with 4:12 left in regulation, the Bulldogs took control in the final minutes of the game with strong defense and clutch three-point shooting, sending the Black Knights to their seventh straight loss.

Four different players registered double-digit scoring figures for the third time this season, with Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) and Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) leading the home team with 16 points apiece.

Following closely in scoring and posting her fourth double-double of the year with 15 points and a team-leading 14 rebounds was Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.), while Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) dropped 13 points and garnered eight boards and a team-high four steals to round out the double-digit scoring club.

Army's Anna Simmers posted a team-high 14 points, edging teammate Olivia Schretzman's 13-point outing, while the latter registered a 66.7 field-goal percentage on a 6-of-9 shooting clip.  Schretzman also led the Black Knights in the paint, amassing a team-high seven boards.

SCOUTING THE BLACK KNIGHTS
The Black Knights enter Sunday's action with an overall 9-3 record in their final game of 2012. Earlier this season, Army rattled off an impressive seven-game win streak to improve to 8-1, before dropping its next two contests. Most recently, the Patriot League-foe defeated Division III, Merchant Marine, 77-40, on Dec. 13.

Army is led by leading scorer Anna Simmers, who averages 14.3 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. Sophomore Olivia Schretzman ranks second in scoring, putting up 10.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg, while Freshman Aimme Oertner has posted five double-doubles this season and is averaging 8.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg.

As a team, the Black Knights are outscoring opponents by almost six points per contest, while holding their opposition to just 37 percent shooting from the field. After playing Bryant, Army will head to Brown on Jan. 2, before closing non-conference play with a trip to Morgan St. on Jan. 6.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs open up 2013 with Northeast Conference play when they head to Pa. for a pair of games. First, Bryant will take on Saint Francis U. on Jan. 5, before heading to Robert Morris on Jan. 7.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference have partnered with Pack Network to create NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts in 2012-13. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2012-13 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge broadcasts of all Bulldog home men's and women's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Visit
www.necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.