Bulldogs welcome The Mount, Saturday at 1 p.m.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOSTS MOUNT ST. MARY'S ON ALUMNI DAY, SATURDAY, 1 P.M.

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FULL GAME NOTES

ON TAP AT THE CHACE ATHLETIC CENTER

The Bryant University women's basketball team will look to earn its first Northeast Conference victory of the season when it welcomes Mount St. Mary's to Smithfield, Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first leg of a Bulldog doubleheader.

SERIES HISTORY

Bryant has squared off against The Mount on five previous occasions and trails the all-time series 1-4.  Mount St. Mary's picked up wins in the first two meetings, including back-to-back wins at Knott Arena in 2009 and 2010. But the Bulldogs soared to an overtime victory at home against the Mountaineers two years ago, posting a 79-76 win at the Chace Athletic Center on Jan. 29, 2011. The Mount won both of last season's showdowns, as the Bulldogs fell on the road, 66-61, on Jan. 14 and, 71-63, in Smithfield on Feb. 25.

LAST SEASON IN SMITHFIELD

The Bryant University women's basketball team trimmed a five-point deficit to one with less than two minutes to play, but Mount St. Mary's managed to pull away down the stretch, as the Bulldogs fell, 71-63, against the Mountaineers.

In a back-and-forth game that saw eight lead changes and nine game-tying baskets, the came up just short at the end of the contest, as the Mountaineers earned the season sweep with the victory.

After Kaitlyn Hinck (Bow, N.H.) put the home team ahead by one, 59-58, with 6:30 to play by means of a 3-pointer, the Mount responded with a long ball from Kelly Guerriero to retake the lead. Two minutes, a missed jumper and a Bryant turnover later, it was Guerriero again doing damage from the outside on her game-high fourth trey of the game to push the Mountaineers ahead by five (64-59) with 3:31 remaining.

But the Bulldogs rallied back on back-to-back baskets just 28 seconds apart, as Steph Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) banked in a layup to trim the deficit to three. Then, with 1:48 left in the second half, Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) forced a turnover to spring her ahead on a fastbreak layup chance. Her basket missed, but Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) was right there to pick her up, as the junior's layup made it 64-63.

But Sydney Henderson drove to the basket and made a layup on the ensuing possession, and after a Bryant turnover and missed basket, Henderson went to the free throw line and made one shot to push the lead to four (67-63) with 52 seconds to play.

The Bulldogs took over, but the home side could not connect down the stretch, as a long-range shot missed with 41 seconds left, allowing the Mountaineers to ice the game with free throws in the waning moments of regulation.

Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) led all Bulldogs with 14 points and hauled in seven rebounds, while Soper dropped 12 points and finished with a game-high nine boards and dished a side-high seven helpers. Douglas rounded out the group of double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs with 11 points, four assists, a block and two steals while reeling in six rebounds.

Mount St. Mary's boasted four double-digit scorers, as Henderson led all players with a game-high 17 points while shooting 6-for-10 from the field. Selina Mann paced the offense with 12 points and a game-high eight assists and also came up with a game-high four takeaways. Both Guerriero and Jessie Kaufman added 14 points apiece and were sharp from the outside. The two players went a combined 8-for-15 (.533) from long range.

Both sides enjoyed respectable shooting performances, as the Bulldogs went 25-for-61 (.410) from the field while the Mount connected on 23-of-50 (.460). The difference between both sides came from the outside and from the free throw line, as the Mountaineers shot 12-for-27 (.444) as a team from long range while Bryant hit just 5-of-17 (.294) from the outside. The numbers were just as lopsided from the charity stripe, where Bryant made only half of its chances (8-16) while the visitors converted 13-of-17 (.765).

The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Mountaineers by a 40-31 margin and held a 28-18 edge in points scored in the paint; the visitors, meanwhile, earned three more steals (9-6), and both teams finished with one block apiece.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

The Mountaineers enter the weekend riding a two-game win streak, topping LIU Brooklyn on Jan. 12, 66-41, and St. Francis Brooklyn on Monday, 49-45, propelling them to a 3-1 Northeast Conference record and a 7-8 overall mark.

Junior guard Sydney Henderson's 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 36.2 minutes per game leads Mount St. Mary's relatively balanced attack. Classmate Jessie Kautman and sophomore Jacqueline Brewer average 9.6 and 8.9 points per game, respectively, while senior Selina Mann's 3.5 assists is tops for the Mountaineers.

As a team, The Mount averages just over 56 points per contest while shooting 38 percent (third best in NEC) from the field. The Mountaineers lead the NEC in free throw percentage, shooting an astounding 79 percent from the charity stripe.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will host the Wagner College Seahawks on Monday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center.