Bulldogs fall short against Terriers, 68-57

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS TO ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN, 68-57, TUESDAY NIGHT IN SMITHFIELD

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite a valiant effort, the Bryant University women's basketball team came up just short against St. Francis Brooklyn, falling 68-57 Tuesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Despite finding themselves down by 17 at the 13:02 mark, Bryant (8-14, 4-7 Northeast Conference) continued to fight into the final minutes of the second half, cutting the St. Francis (10-13, 7-5) lead to 11 points, 56-45 with just over seven minutes remaining in Tuesday night's contest.

Bryant brought it within nine with just over six minutes left, but the Terriers quickly pushed it back to double digits, 58-47. The two teams traded baskets but the lead remained at ten with just over three minutes left on the clock.

The Bulldogs continued their aggressive play on the offensive end getting to the free throw line but St. Francis's hot second-half shooting proved to be too much for Bulldogs as the visitors prevailed, 68-57.

Junior guard Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) paced Bryant with 18 points and three steals as the only double digit Bulldogs scorer. Classmates Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.), Courtney Schissler (Brandford, Conn.) and senior Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) each added eight points, while Kaitlyn Hinck (Bow, N.H.) put up seven.

Eilidh Simpson led St. Francis Brooklyn with 22 points in 29 minutes place, while Leah Fechko and Jessica Kaufman added 16 and 12, respectively.

The Terriers finish the contest shooting 50 percent from the field, while Bryant closed the game at a 41 percent clip. The visitors also outrebounded the Bulldogs, 37-38, including 10-6 on the offensive glass.

Despite the extended hiatus between games, the Bulldogs picked up right where they left off last Monday, jumping out to a 9-0 lead to open Tuesday night's contest against St. Francis Brooklyn. Nearly halfway through the first half, the Black and Gold maintained their advantage, 16-5, but as the half progressed the visiting Terriers began to find their stride on the offensive end, cutting the deficit to just 7.

Bryant was able to weather the Terrier run into the final five minutes of the half, pushing the lead back to nine points, 23-14, but St. Francis cut into the lead again, bringing it to just five, 23-18, with 4:07 to play until the break.

The Terriers took their first lead of the contest at the 2:23 mark in the first frame, overtaking the Bulldogs, 24-23. Both teams would trade buckets in the final two minutes, but it was the visitors who held the lead, 31-28, at the halftime break.

Hinck led Bryant at the half with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, while Douglas added six points, three rebounds and two blocks. Simpson paced the Terriers with 10 points while Kaufman and Bingham each put up eight points.

Both teams struggled to score out of the locker room but it was St. Francis who got off to the better second half start as they opened up their advantage to double digits, 42-30, six minutes into the final frame.

The Terrier run continued as the visitors rattled off a 16-2 run for the first seven minutes of the second half until a Whittington 3-pointer halted the streak, bringing the Bulldogs within 14 points, 47-33. However, the second half deficit was too much for Bryant to overcome as the Bulldogs suffered just their second loss in six games, 68-57, Tuesday night against St. Francis Brooklyn.

The Bulldogs will return to action over the weekend as they head to Wagner on Saturday (1 p.m.) before closing their road trip at Mount St. Mary's on Monday (7 p.m.).

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