Bulldogs fall at Sacred Heart, 62-44

DESPITE ANKOMA-MENSA'S 6TH STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLE, BULLDOGS FALL AT SACRED HEART, 62-44

FAIRFIELD, CONN. – Despite junior Naana Ankoma-Mensa's (Brampton, Ont.) sixth-straight double-double, the Bryant University women's basketball team fell on the road to Sacred Heart, 62-44, Monday night.

The Bulldogs (6-13, 2-6, Northeast Conference) fought to the very last buzzer despite a high-scoring first half by the Pioneers (13-7, 5-3).

Ankoma-Mensa posted 14 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth-consecutive double-dip effort, while junior Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) added 10 points and five boards. Senior Danielle Douglas (Silver Springs, Md.) chipped in nine points and four steals of the bench.

Sacred Heart's Kiley Evans poured in 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field to lead all scorers.

Bryant shot just 30 percent from the floor, while the Pioneers finished slightly better at 38 percent.

The Pioneers wasted little time jumping out a 20-6 lead nearly halfway through the first half, taking advantage of every defensive lapse by the Bulldogs. Bryant continued to struggle on the offensive end as the Sacred Heart defense did not allow the visitors to get anything going, extending their lead to 19, 29-10, with 6:30 left to play until halftime.

The final minutes of the first frame consisted of more offensive struggles for the Bulldogs, as Sacred Heart continued to play well on its home floor heading into halftime with a commanding 42-10 lead.

Ankoma-Mensa and Douglas each had six points at the break to make up the Bryant scoring output, while Evans led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

The Bulldogs opened the second half with some aggressive play on the offensive end that seemed to be lacking in the first half, scoring eight points in under four minutes, but the Pioneers continued to maintain a comfortable margin, 48-20, with 15 minutes left to play.

Bryant continued to fight through the final minutes of the contest, but Sacred Heart maintained a solid double-digit advantage to earn its fourth-straight win, 62-44.

The Bulldogs will have a few days to regroup before heading to New Jersey for a pair of games against Monmouth (Saturday, 3 p.m.) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Monday, 7 p.m.).

For all the latest news on the Bryant University women's basketball team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.