Women's hoops visits Wagner, Saturday (1 p.m.)

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS FINAL REGULAR SEASON WEEKEND ROAD TRIP AT WAGNER, SAT. 1 P.M.

Watch: NECfrontrow.com
Live Stats: WagnerAthletics.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday

FULL GAME NOTES

ON TAP AT THE SPIRO SPORTS CENTER

The Bulldogs embark on their final regular season weekend trip beginning with a showdown against Wagner, Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) in Staten Island, N.Y.

SERIES HISTORY

Tuesday will mark the seventh meeting between the Bulldogs and Seahawks. Bryant currently holds commanding 6-0 all-time series lead dating back to the 2008-09 season. Earlier this season (Jan. 21), the Bulldogs earned a much needed 65-47 victory over Wagner to snap an eight-game losing streak.

EARLIER THIS YEAR IN SMITHFIELD

Paced by the fourth-straight double-double from junior forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.), the Bryant University women's basketball team defeated Wagner, 65-47, Monday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

After holding a 26 point advantage at the 16:17 mark of the second half, Bryant allowed a 12-0 Seahawk run that spanned 8:27 to bring the visitors within just 14 with eight minutes to play.

The Bulldogs eventually stopped the Wagner  run, pushing the edge back to 20 points, 54-34 with just over four minutes remaining in the contest.

Bryant maintained its double-digit advantage through the final buzzer, snapping its eight-game skid to notch its first Northeast Conference victory of the season.

The Black and Gold earn their first win of 2013, and more importantly their first victory of NEC play in convincing fashion.
Ankoma-Mensa led all scorers with 20 points to go along with her 11 rebounds and six steals for her fourth-straight double-double (10th this season) and third-straight 20-point effort. Junior Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) put up 15 points and four assists while freshman Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) added 13 points and six boards in her second start of the season. Junior Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) chipped in with nine points and four steals, while freshman Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) and graduate student Kaitlyn Hinck (Bow, N.H.) each finished with four points to round out the Bryant scorers.

Freshman Jordyn Peck posted 16 points to lead Wager, while classmate Ebony Jennings put up 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Bryant shot a shade under 49 percent for the game, while the visiting Seahawks posted a 31 percent shooting clip. The NEC-leading rebounding Bulldogs outboarded their opposition, once again, snatching 37 boards, compared to just 33 for Wagner.
Still searching for their first NEC victory of the season, the Bulldogs came roaring out of the gate, jumping out to a 12-4 advantage nearly five minutes through Monday evening's contest.

The Black and Gold continued their tough defense, causing turnovers and getting easy baskets on the offensive end, extending their lead to 14, 24-10, through the seven minute mark.

Bryant closed the first frame on a 20-4 run as the Bulldogs headed into the locker room with a lead for the second-straight game, leading 36-14 at the break.

Bailey and Winder lead the hosts with eight points apiece, while Ankoma-Mensa put up five points, five boards and five steals in the opening period. Peck paced the Seahawks with eight points and three rebounds, playing all 20 minutes in the half for the visitors.

SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS

The Seahawks have struggled this season posting a 2-21 overall record, 1-11 in Northeast Conference play.  Most recently, Wagner dropped it's Tuesday night contest against Mount St. Mary's, 54-42.

Senior Marie-Laurence Archambault leads the Seahawks in scoring, positng 10.9 points per game in 21 games. Freshman Jordyn Peck and sophomore Stephanie Blais also near the top of the Wagner scoring ranks chipping in 10.5 and 9.9 ppg, respectively. Senior Veronick Fournier paced the team in rebounding at 5.8 per contest, while sophomore Jaqui Thompson handing the point guard duties, dishing 3.7 assists per game.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will close out their final weekend road trip of the regular season when they head to Emmitsburg, Md. to play Mount St. Mary's on Monday (7 p.m.).