Bulldogs fail to hold off Bears, falling, 66-61, Wed.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite leading its cross-state rival for most of the contest, the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Brown, 66-61, Wednesday evening at the Chace Athletic Center.

Bryant (1-3) held a 53-51 advantage with 6:44 to play in the game, but the Bears (2-1) went on to outscore the hosts, 15-8, in the final six minute of play to secure their first win against the Bulldogs in three seasons.

Senior forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) posted a routine 15 point, 11 rebound double-double, adding four assists in 40 minutes of play to lead the Black and Gold. Freshman Morgan Olander (Manfield, Conn.) chipped in with a career-high 12 points, while senior Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) added 11 points and seven helpers (tying her career high).

Senior guard Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) put up nine points and eight boards in 38 minutes, while classmate Stephanie Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) and junior Melissa Corraro (Shelton, Conn.) each put up five points in the loss.

Brown's Lauren Clarke, however, stole the show with a whopping 27 points, including 5-of-10 from downtown. Rebecca Mesgrove added 12 points, while Ellise Sharpe poured in 13 off the bench to lift the Bears to their second-straight win.

After a back-and-forth start, the Bulldogs finally started to settled down and jumped out to a 16-9 advantage after a 7-0 run thanks to a pair of triples form Schissler eight minutes into the contest.

The action began to slow as sloppy play plagued both teams through the 8-minute media break, but Bryant continued to hold its edge, 20-14. But the Bears climbed back with a 7-0 run of their own to take their first lead of the evening, 21-20, with just under five minutes to play in the half.

The Bulldogs closed the period on an 11-2 run to take a 31-23 advantage into the break. The balanced Bryant attack was led by Schissler with eight points and Cardamone's five points, but Clarke led all scorers with 10.

Bryant was able to maintain a 10 point advantage through the first media break of the second half thanks to a pair of baskets from Olander. But again, in fitting fashion, a 13-3 run by the Bears brought the visitors within just a bucket, 38-36, with just over 13 minutes to play in the contest.

The game of runs continued until Brown took its first lead of the second half at the 5:50 mark, 55-53, not looking back as the Ivy Leaguers held on for a 66-61 come-from-behind victory.

The Bulldogs will look to regroup and get some much needed recovery time over the next two days before heading to Holy Cross for a showdown with the Crusaders, Saturday night in Worcester, Mass. Game time is set for 5 p.m.

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