Bailey scores 21, Pirates defeat Bulldogs in season opener Friday morning

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – In the first-ever meeting, the Bryant University women's basketball team fell, 93-57, to Seton Hall on Friday morning in South Orange, N.J.

The Bulldogs, (0-1) won the tip, but Shakena Richardson stole the ball and finished with a layup on the other end to give the Pirates (1-0) a 2-0 lead and they never looked back. Seton Hall opened the game with a 10-0 run, before Bulldogs' head coach Mary Burke called a timeout.

Sophomore Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) came out of the break fired up, scoring back-to-back for the Bulldogs off a three-pointer and a put back off her own offensive rebound. The guard finished the first half with 15 of Bryant's 28 points.

The Pirates were near impossible to stop on the offensive end, scoring 39 points in the first quarter, while shooting 59.5 percent from the floor in the first half. Their run and gun style of play put the Bulldogs to the test, but the visitors were able to respond by slowing them down in the second period, allowing the Pirates only 19 points.

The Black and Gold continued their battle in the second half, holding Seton Hall to 21 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. Junior Chanel Ramcharran (Pickering, Ont.) was a spark for the Bulldogs off the bench, working to push the ball and get all her teammates involved, while sinking a pair of shots in the third period, including one from downtown.

Bryant continued to build confidence throughout the game and the teamwork emerged as the guards and forwards found each other on the inside-out game. Senior Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) found Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) on the perimeter for the jumper to kick off the second half scoring for the Bulldogs. Moments later Winder found senior forward Maureen Leahy (Springfield, Pa.) in the short corner for the successful 10-foot jumper.

In typical Rucker fashion, the forward began to rip down boards for the Bulldogs in the second half, including an offensive rebound late in the third quarter that sent her to the line, where she connected on one of two attempts. The next trip down the floor, Winder found Rucker for a layup on the right side.

Bailey remained the hot hand in the second half, hitting a three-pointer in each other the last two quarters. Winder and Junior forward Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) each pitched in four points in the second half on a made jumper and two free-throws respectively.

In the fourth quarter the Pirates and Bulldogs drew, each scoring 14 points, marking the Bulldogs most efficient defensive showing. The Black and Gold continued to find success on the boards, scoring seven points off 10 offensive rebounds in the final quarter. Late in the game, a Winder offensive rebound was converted into two points by junior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) with a seven-foot jumper.

Winder closed the Bulldogs' scoring effort with two made free-throws, with under a minute to play to finalize the 93-57 score in Seton Hall's favor.

Bailey finished as the Bulldogs' leading scorer with 21 points, while Winder recorded 11. Rucker managed seven, scoring five in the second half and Klein pitched in six. Olander finished with four points, while Ramcharran had five off the bench and sophomore Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) added a single score off a free-throw in the second half. In the end, the Bulldogs shot 30 percent from the floor and just under 70 percent from the line. Rucker grabbed 12 total rebounds, while Olander was close behind with 10.

The Black and Gold return to play on Sunday, Nov. 15 for their home opener against Cornell, beginning at 1 p.m. Fans can follow along with live stats at bryantbulldogs.com or watch the live broadcast at necfrontrow.com.