Bulldogs open NEC action at Saint Francis

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LOOKS TO OPEN NEW YEAR ON POSITIVE NOTE, AT SFU (1 P.M.)

Game Notes

ON TAP AT DEGOL ARENA

The Bryant University women's basketball program continues its 2012-13 campaign when it opens up Northeast Conference action with a Saturday afternoon showdown in Loretto, Pa. against the Red Flash of Saint Francis University. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the sixth matchup between the two programs, after meeting at least once in each of the last four seasons. Last season, the two teams split a pair of contests, with Bryant winning in Smithfield, 57-52, on Jan. 7, while Saint Francis avenged its loss with a 79-64 victory in Loretto on Feb. 18.

LAST SEASON IN LORETTO, PA.

Five players registered double-digit scoring figures – including a career 18-point outing from 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 could not rally from was at once a 17-point lead for the Red Flash, who even the season series after Bryant won earlier in the season in Smithfield.
Hinck 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 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. Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) chipped in 12 points – including a pair of treys - and added a steal as well.

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. 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.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH

The Red Flash enter Saturday's action with an overall 5-6 record as they open the New Year and Northeast Conference play. After winning four of its first five contests of the season, Saint Francis has now dropped five of its last six, most recently falling to #5 Notre Dame, 128-55, on Dec. 31.

SFU is led by Preseason All-NEC candidate junior Alli Williams who currently ranks second in scoring in the NEC with 17.5 points per game. Williams also leads her team in rebounding at 10.1 per game and steals at 3.6 per game, good for third and fourth in the NEC, respectively. Senior Nickia Gibbs ranks second in scoring for the Red Flash at 10.7 ppg, while sophomore Alexa Hayward puts up 9.3 points per contest.

As a team, Saint Francis ranks second in scoring in the NEC at just over 64 points per game, while shooting just under 40 percent from the field (also 2nd in NEC). Predicted to finish fourth in the conference, the Red Flash has played a difficult non-conference schedule, which they hope pays dividends come league play. 

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE PLAY

Saturday's game at Saint Francis U. will mark the start of the first postseason-eligible NEC schedule in Bryant women's basketball history. After enduring four seasons of sacrifices, the Bulldogs are finally playoff eligible as they hope to become one of the eight teams to advance to the NEC Tournament.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will continue Northeast Conference play when they head to Robert Morris on Jan. 7. Game time is set for 10 a.m.

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. Visitwww.necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.