Women's hoops coasts to season sweep with 81-51 win at FDU

HACKENSACK, N.J. – On the heels of an inspired defensive effort, the Bryant University women's basketball team picked up an 81-51 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, Saturday afternoon at Stratis Arena.

All 16 Bulldogs made an appearance in Saturday's contest as Bryant (13-11, 8-5 Northeast Conference) earns the regular season sweep of FDU (2-22, 1-12 NEC), as injuries continue to plague the Knights.

Senior Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) led Bryant with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, while classmate Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) chipped in 15 points to go along with five rebounds and three helpers of her own. Sophomore Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) put up her seventh double double of the year, finishing with 12 points and 10 boards, while Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) rounded out the Bryant double-digit scorers with 11 points, eight caroms and four assists.

Both sophomore Dani Anderson (Wellington, Kan.) (eight points) and freshman Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) (six points) enjoyed career highs for the Black and Gold, while sophomore Maureen Leahy (Springfield, Pa.) posted six points and a pair of rebounds off the bench.

Amanda Andrades paced FDU with 14 points and four assists, while Desiree Crawford added 10 points and three boards.

Bryant held the Knights to just 51 total points on 32 percent shooting from the field in one of its best defensive efforts of the year. The Bulldogs shot 46 percent and grabbed 42 rebounds in the convincing victory.

Thanks a stellar effort on the defensive end, the Bulldogs opened up a 20-9 advantage with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half. Bryant continued to put a wrench in the Knights' offensive game plan with its 3/4 court pressure, limiting the hosts to just .370 percent shooting and 15 turnovers in the opening frame.

The Bulldog dominated the first half, taking a 44-22 lead into the locker room behind 12 points from Schissler and eight points Ankoma-Mensa. Crawford and Cruz led FDU with six and five points, respectively.

Bryant scored 12-straight points to open the second half, pushing its lead to 32 points, 56-22, its largest of the contest with 15 minutes left on the clock. The Bulldogs stood tough through the final minutes of the game, never relinquishing their 20+ point advantage en route to an 81-51 victory.

Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will host menacing Mount St. Mary's Monday afternoon (2 p.m.) at the Chace Athletic Center in a contest that is sure to have major playoff implications.

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