Women's hoops snaps streak, falls to Robert Morris, 84-73, Sat.

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. – Despite five Bulldogs reaching the double figure scoring mark, the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Robert Morris, 84-73, Saturday afternoon at the Charles L. Seawall Center.

With 3:54 left to play, the Bulldogs (7-7, 2-1 Northeast Conference) found themselves down, 72-65, after fighting back from a 19-point halftime deficit. After an Ashley Ravelli runner put the Colonials (6-8, 2-1 NEC) up nine, senior guard Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) buried her fourth triple of the contest to bring Bryant back within six.

The two teams continued to battle, trading baskets in an up-and-down contest, but the Bulldogs could not get over the five-point hump, as the hosts had an answer for ever Bryant push. The Black and Gold got it to six points with a minute to play but flawless foul shooting from Robert Morris secured the 84-73 victory for the hosts.

Five Bulldogs hit the double-digit mark for the third time this season, led by senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey's (Bloomfield, Conn.) 21 points, eight assists and four steals. Classmate Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) notched her sixth double double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore forward Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) continued her streak of strong play with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Schissler finished with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and graduate student Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) added 11 points in 36 minutes of play.

For the Colonials, Artemis Spanou put up her typical fill-the-boxscore performance with 26 points, 19 rebounds and five assists, while Ravelli put up 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

Bryant came roaring out of the gates, opening up a 14-7 advantage thanks to some sharp shooting from Schissler, but a Spanou And-one cut the Bulldog advantage to just four heading into the under-12 media break.

However, the Colonials weathered the early blow from the Black and Gold, eventually taking its first lead of the afternoon, 18-16, at the 9:41 mark. The two teams continued to battle until Robert Morris opened up a 15-2 run to grant the hosts its largest lead of the afternoon, 36-23.

The hosts continued their stellar shooting through the final minutes of the half as they took a 45-26 lead in the locker room. Spanou led all scorers at the break with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Ravelli added 12 points on 4-of-4 from deep. Schissler led Bryant with eight points (all in the first five minutes) and Bailey added seven of her own.

Similar to the opening minutes of the contest, the Bulldogs opened the second frame with some stellar play, opening up a 17-7 run to cut the deficit to single digits, 52-43, with 16 minutes remaining in the contest.

The Black and Gold continued to fight back, cutting the host's lead to just five points, 52-47, at the 13:07 mark. However, the Colonials once again weathered the storm, pushing their advantage back to 14 points, 64-50, with 7:41 remaining in the contest. Bryant fought back to within single digits once again thanks to some inspired play from Bailey, but Robert Morris remained in front, 68-61, with over five minutes left to play.

The loss snaps a five game win streak for the Bulldogs and also marks just the first time this season that Bryant has lost a game when four or more players reach the double-digit scoring mark.

Looking ahead, the Black and Gold will have just over 48 hours until they faceoff with a very dangerous Saint Francis U. team, Monday night in Loretto, Pa. (Tip is set for 7 p.m.).

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