Women's hoops enjoys historic 2012-13 season

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REACHES POSTSEASON FOR FIRST TIME IN DI HISTORY TOPPING OFF HISTORIC SEASON

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The 2012-13 season for the Bryant University women's basketball team marked an historic year for the Bulldogs, in more ways than one.

In their first year of Division I postseason eligibility, the Black and Gold reached the Northeast Conference tournament for the first time in program history posting an overall mark of 12-18 (8-11 NEC). The Bulldogs truly came together down the stretch, winning eight of its last 13 games in conference play, including two in the final weekend to capture the eighth and final playoff berth. As a team, Bryant saw four different players receive NEC weekly honors, the most in the program's five-year Division I history. As individuals, junior forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) and 22nd-year head coach Mary Burke were each recognized for their great achievement throughout the year.

The 2012-13 season began with a rough patch for the Bulldogs as they dropped their first four games, including two on their Ohio road trip against Akron and Youngstown St. However, on Nov. 28 at Brown, Bryant put together one of its finest showings of the year to top the Bears 81-58, earning its first win of the season. The huge victory sparked a four-game win streak which included wins over Columbia, Maine, and a come-from-behind overtime victory at Iona.

The Bulldogs struggled through the end of December and beginning of January as they opened up NEC play with five-straight losses, however a pair of home wins vs. Wagner on Jan. 21 and against LIU Brooklyn on Jan. 26 proved to be a turning point in the season as it marked the start of a strong finish for Bryant.

The Bulldogs would go on to earns huge road victories against Monmouth (Feb. 2), Fairleigh Dickinson (Feb. 4), Wagner (Feb. 16) and Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 18), at one point winning four-straight road contests.  The brightest moment for the program came in the final weekend of the regular season as the Black and Gold avenged their losses from earlier in the season against Saint Francis U. on March 2 and vs. Robert Morris, in overtime, on March 4.

The win over the Colonials in the regular season finale was enough to clinch the eighth and final spot in the NEC Tournament with Bryant finishing with an 8-10 conference record. In the tourney, the Bulldogs ran into a very talented Quinnipiac team, fighting to the very last buzzer to the eventual NEC Champions.

"I was extremely proud of the effort every night from our team," said Burke. "Despite all the adversity, we remained focused on our long term goal, which was reaching the postseason."

"Down the stretch, we beat some very tough teams both at home and on the road," added Burke. "And it was only fitting that our seniors led us into our first-ever Division I postseason appearance."

Highlighting the historic season for the Bulldogs was Ankoma-Mensa who earned All-NEC Second Team honors. The first All-NEC selection for the Bulldogs since the 2009-10 season, Ankoma-Mensa developed into one of the premier post players in the Northeast Conference, averaging career-highs in points (12.9), rebounds (13.0) and minutes played (35.6).

Classmates Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) also put together solid junior-campaigns as Bailey had a terrific second-half of the season, averaging 8.7 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. Schissler carried the Bryant scoring load for much of the first half of the year, posting career-highs in scoring in three different games, finishing with 8.6 ppg on the year.

A trio of freshman provided some great depth for the Bulldogs throughout the course of the season as forward Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio), center Maureen Leahy (Springfield, Pa.) and guard Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) all proved that they are ready to play big-time minutes in the coming future.

Also returning next year will be senior guard Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) who missed the entire 2012-13 season due to injury. An integral piece for the Bulldogs over the course of her first three seasons, Soper will add some much needed leadership and toughness to the 2013-14 roster.

Despite a strong nucleus returning for the 2013-14 season the Bulldogs will certainly miss the departure of seniors Danielle Douglas (Silver Springs, Md.), Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) and graduate student Kaitlyn Hinck (Bow, N.H.).

Bryant will look to build on its success from the 2012-13 season as the Bulldogs continue to solidify themselves as perennial contenders in the Northeast Conference.

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