Bulldogs open with 82-71 win over UVM

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Stephanie Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) scored a career-high 16 points to lead four double-digit scorers as the Bryant University women's basketball team opened up the 2013-14 season with an 82-71 victory over Vermont on Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

With the victory, the Bulldogs (1-0) open the season with a win for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

Cardamone paced a Black and Gold offense that shot 55.8 percent on the night with 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and a 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Classmates Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.), Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) all finished in double figures with 18, 16 and 15, respectively.

It was all Bulldogs for a majority of Saturday's opener. Bailey's jumper two minutes in opened the scoring and the Black and Gold never trailed the rest of the way. The Catamounts forged four separate ties throughout the early going before Cardamone's second three of the afternoon put Bryant up 17-14 with 8:28 to play in the first half.

Freshman guard Chanel Ramcharran (Pickering, Ont.) then infused some life into the Bulldogs when she made her collegiate debut. She set up Cardamone for an easy layup with a beautiful pass and then fired a strike from half court to set up Schissler for an open three to make it 26-21 with 5:28 to play. Ramcharran wasn't done there as her first career trifecta pushed the lead to six, 31-25, and her buzzer-beating three gave the Black and Gold a 13-point halftime lead, 42-29.

Bryant used that momentum in the second half, building its lead to as many as 23 points. After the Catamounts clawed within nine on a Gracia Huston layup, the Bulldogs rattled off an 18-4 run capped by a Bailey three-point play to make it 63-40 with 12:20 to play in the second half.

Vermont, however, countered with a run of its own, outscoring the Bulldogs 19-4 over the next eight minutes to cut the deficit to eight, 67-59, with 4:47 left to play. A pair of Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) free throws stunted the run but the Catamounts held firm, staying within striking distance over the final four minutes. Bryant withstood the push, however, going 15-of-18 from the charity stripe down the stretch.

On the afternoon, the Bulldogs finished 28-of-38 from free throw line. Vermont, on the other hand, finished 13-of-16. In addition to her 16 points, Ankoma-Mensa also finished with a game-high eight rebounds. Ramcharran finished with six points and three assists in 11 minutes. After missing all of last season due to injury, Soper returned to post seven points, three rebounds and didn't turn the ball over in 28 minutes. Kristina White led four Catamounts in double figures with 18 points.

The Bulldogs return to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 12 when they travel to Providence for a matchup with the Friars. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.