Bulldogs welcome Terriers Tues. (7 p.m.) as they Play 4 Kay

WOMEN'S HOOPS GOES FOR THIRD-STRAIGHT WIN TUESDAY VS. ST. FRANCIS BOORKLYN AS THE BULLDOGS PLAY 4 KAY

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FULL GAME NOTES

ON TAP AT THE CHACE ATHLETIC CENTER

After over a week away from the hardwood Bryant University women's basketball team will welcome St. Francis Brooklyn to Smithfield as the Bulldogs Play 4 Kay. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY

Tuesday will mark the seventh meeting between the Bulldogs and Terriers. Bryant currently holds commanding 6-0 all-time series lead dating back to the 2008-09 season. Last February, the Bulldogs topped St. Francis Brooklyn on the road, 55-45. 

LAST SEASON IN BROOKLYN, N.Y.

Thanks to its best shooting effort from the field to date in the 2011-12 season, the Bryant University women's basketball team picked up a 55-45 win against St. Francis College on Saturday afternoon at the Pope Physical Education Center.

By virtue of their 47.7 percent clip on 21-of-44 shooting, the Bulldogs matched their single-season high in victories since joining the Division I ranks in 2008-09. The Terriers lived up to their billing as one of the top defensive teams in the conference, but could not answer a late Bryant run that sealed the deal for the visitors.

What was once a 14-point Bryant advantage quickly evaporated to six midway through the second half, but the Black and Gold responded with six straight points and held St. Francis without a field goal over a span of 6:54 to keep the Bulldogs perfect against the Terriers in the all-time series. Bryant now owns a 7-0 mark against SFNY since the 2008-09 campaign.

Guard Danielle Douglas (Silver Spring, Md.) was sharp once again for the Bulldogs by leading both sides with 16 points while going 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Joining her in double figures was classmate Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.), who added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) tied Soper with eight boards on the day, as well.

Sarah Benedetti guided the Terriers with 13 points while Jessica Kaufman recorded a team-high seven rebounds for the home side. Benedetti finished the day 6-of-6 from the stripe, while Jaymee Veney chipped in eight points while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. As a team, St. Francis went 16-of-43 (.372) from the field and 3-of-12 (.250) from long range.

After going 12-of-25 (.480) from the field in the first half, the Bulldogs knocked down 9-of-19 (.474) in the second frame. Against the Terriers' tough rebounding defense – which ranked tops in the league entering the weekend – the Bulldogs were held to just 30 boards on the game, good for three more than the home team (27).

Both teams topped the 20-turnover mark, as St. Francis accumulated one more giveaway (21) than the Bulldogs (20), and both sides garnered an identical amount of steals (11), assists (12) and blocks (1).

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS

The Terriers come to Smithfield sporting a 9-13 overall record, 6-5 in the Northeast Conference. After starting the season 2-8, St. Francis Brooklyn has gone 7-5 since the first of the year, including W's in their last two games. The Terriers topped Robert Morris, 67-63, in double overtime on Feb. 4, before earning a 70-62 victory over LIU Brooklyn on Saturday.

Sarah Benedetti leads St. Francis in scoring at 12.8 point per game to go along with her 4.8 rebounds per game in nearly 32 minutes of play. Eilidh Simpson chips in 9.1 ppg and three assists per game, while Jessica Kaufman adds 8.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg. Jaymee Veney and Leah Fechko lead the Terriers in rebounding, both averaging 5.1 boards per contest.

As a team, SFC shoots just under 39 percent from the field, while putting up 57.7 points per game. The Terriers shoot a high percentage from deep, 34 percent, and the free throw line, 72 percent. 

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will hit the road for their final weekend road trip of the regular season when they head to Wagner on Saturday (1 p.m.) and Mount St. Mary's on Monday (7 p.m.).