Bulldogs take care of Terriers Saturday, 63-58, in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Behind an inspired defensive effort, the Bryant University women's basketball team picked up a huge road win at St. Francis Brooklyn, 63-58, Saturday afternoon at the Pope Center.

An 8-0 run sparked by back-to-back 3's by senior Jasmine Robinson cut a nine-point lead down to just one with under two minutes left in Saturday's contest. However, Bailey answered with a huge dribble, drive and finish to push the Bryant (15-13, 10-7 Northeast Conference) edge back to three points. The Terriers (18-10, 9-8 NEC) were unable to convert on the following possession, forcing the hosts to foul.

Senior Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) knocked down a pair from the line to up the lead to five points with 28.9 seconds remaining on the clock. After a pair of Robinson freebies, St. Francis forced a clutch turnover but was unable to capitalize, sending Schissler back to the charity stripe where she made 1-of-2.

In the final 8.6 seconds, the Terriers once again had a good look but were unsuccessful, eventually falling to Bryant, 63-58.

Senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) led the Bulldogs with 16 points, seven assists and five steals in 40 minutes. Classmate Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) owned the glass throughout the entirety of the contest, putting up her 12th double double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Senior Stephanie Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) had her first back-to-back double-figure scoring games of the season with 14 points, including a career-high four 3-pointers.

Eilidh Simpson led St. Francis with 16 points, while Jaymee Veney added nine points and 10 rebounds.

Bryant shot a game-best 40 percent from the field, including 6-of-15 from deep, while holding the Terriers to just 35 percent shooting and 6-of-21 (.286) from behind the 3-point line.

Despite a sluggish start, the Bulldogs eventually began to settle into their three-quarter court trap, forcing St. Francis into multiple turnovers mid-way through the first half to open up a 17-12 lead. However, back-to-back Terrier 3-pointers from Fechko and Sarah Benedetti pushed the hosts back on top, 18-17, with just over seven minutes to play until the halftime break.

After trading baskets for essentially the final eight minutes of the first period, the Bulldogs opened up their largest lead of the contest, 29-22, with under a minute to play until Simpson buried a deep trifecta just as time expired.

Cardamone led all scorers at the break with eight points, while Bailey chipped in six to go along with three assists and three steals to pace the balanced Bulldog attack.

Bryant opened the second half clicking on all cylinders, jumping out to a 36-27 advantage, their largest of the contest. St. Francis quickly adjusted, weathering the Bulldog offensive barrage to go on a 5-0 run of its own.

Similar to the first half, the scoring from both sides slowed towards the middle part of the frame with Bryant clinging on to a slim, 41-38, edge with just over 10 minutes left to play thanks to back-to-back buckets from Bailey.

The Black and Gold went on to open up a 7-0 run to push their lead to nine points, 53-44, until four-straight free throws cut the lead down to five with just over five minutes to play. The Bulldogs eventually held on to complete the season sweep of the Terriers, 61-58.

With the win, Bryant inches a step closer to clinching one of the top four spots in the NEC, and even more importantly an NEC Tournament Quarterfinal home game next week. The Bulldogs still need to take care of business, however, with a trip to Central Connecticut on Monday (7 p.m.) standing in the way.

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