Bulldogs take on Crusaders Sunday afternoon in Worcester

GAMENOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After back-to-back wins, the Bryant University women's basketball team travels to Worcester in search of their second victory over Holy Cross in Division I play on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. 

THE SERIES

This contest will mark the eighth meeting between the Bulldogs and Crusaders in Division I play. Last years' contest marked Bryant's first victory over Holy Cross since joining the Northeast Conference in Division I.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS

The Crusaders enter the contest still on the quest for their first win of the 2015-16 season, after dropping their first five match ups to Penn State, Massachusetts, Boston College, Quinnipiac and Yale.

Holy Cross is led offensively by senior forward Raquel Scott, who averages 16.4 points per game and shoots 50% from the floor. Scott posted her second double-double of the season in the Crusaders' lasted match against Yale, totaling a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed is also an offensive threat for the Crusaders, posting 11 points per game and shooting 31.7% from the floor in an average of 32.4 minutes per game. Prior to the Yale game, Thomas-Waheed had scored double-digit points in four-straight games.

FOUR QUARTERS

Under the new NCAA rule, women's basketball has revised the game to four 10-minute quarters, instead of two 20-minute halves.

Thus far, the Bulldogs have dominated in the middle two quarters, holding opponents to an average of 16.04 points in those quarters vs. an average of 17.5 points in the first and fourth quarter respectively.

The Bulldogs gave up 39 points to Seton Hall in the first quarter, but held them to 14 in the fourth. Similarly, the Bulldogs allowed UMass 21 points in the first, while restricting the River Hawks to 12 in the final 10 minutes of regulation. The opposite story happened against Cornell, holding them to 15 in the first, but allowing 26 in the fourth.

Against Vermont, the Black and Gold prevented the Catamounts from scoring more than seven points in the second quarter, including only one made basket from the floor. In the fourth quarter, Vermont fought to within 10 of the Bulldogs, outscoring them 18-14, but the Bryant lead in the second quarter proved to be too much of a deficit for the Catamounts to claw back from.

FROM THREE

Against Cornell, Bryant went 5-8 (62.5%) from downtown, led by the efforts of freshman Kierra Palmer, who hit four of her six attempts from three-point land. At UMass Lowell, the Bulldogs shot 9-16 (56.3%) from behind the arc, with five different players hitting from three-point land. Tiersa Winder led the Bulldogs with a trio of made threes, including a key trey in the third quarter against the River Hawks

Last season the Bulldogs shot 29.1% from three in their 31 games, finding that even if they were not on from downtown, they could still battle it out under the basket and come out with a win. With the addition of Palmer this season, the Black and Gold may be looking at even greater success from behind the arc. Last season, the team attempted 602 three-pointers, while their opponents were held to 515.

Already this season, the Black and Gold have put up 83 threes in three games, finding success on 28 occasions. The Bulldogs have shot a season-best 56.3% from three-point land at UMass Lowell.

BOUNDS BY THE POUND

One of the Bulldogs' biggest strength is their performance on the glass, both offensively and defensively. In the first match of the season, Bryant outrebounded Seton Hall by 15, with two players finishing in double digits. In the fourth quarter alone, the Bulldogs grabbed 10 offensive boards, with senior Breanna Rucker leading the way. Junior Morgan Olander finished the game with 10 total rebounds, while Rucker ripped down 12. Olander has recorded two double-digit rebounding games, while Rucker has managed double-digit rebounds in three of four contests, including a season-high 15 at UMass Lowell.

Even the guards are impactful on the glass, with senior shooting guard Tiersa Winder averaging 3.8 and sophomore guard Ivory Bailey with 5.3 per game. The Bulldogs finished as a team with 47 rebounds in their season opener on the road against Seton Hall, 42 in their home opener against Cornell, and a season-high of 50 against Vermont. In their latest match, the Bulldogs outrebounded the River Hawks by 13, including 13 on the offensive glass and 25 defensively. The Black and Gold currently outrebound their competitors by 14.8 boards per game, placing them first in the Northeast Conference.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

After recording 22 double-doubles in the 2014-15 campaign, Rucker recorded her second double-double of the 2015-16 season in the Bulldogs' last match against UMass Lowell. The power forward racked up a season-high 15 boards, while also equating 20 points, after shooting 7-11 from the floor, 2-2 from three-point land and 4-4 from the line.

DEFENSIVE IDENTITY 

Against Vermont, the Bulldogs held the Catamounts to only seven points in the second period, with all but two of those points coming from the line. In similar fashion Vermont was only capable of putting up 10 points in the third quarter against the Bulldog defense. The Black and Gold have captured 101 total defensive rebounds, averaging 25.3 per game, which places them fourth in the NEC. The Bryant defense was able to hold Seton Hall to a period-low 14 points in the fourth quarter, while also only allowing UMass Lowell 12 points in the final period.

A TEAM OF FIRSTS

The Bulldogs sit atop a number of Northeast Conference charts, just three weeks into the season. Bryant sits in first place in free-throw percentage (.784), shooting 58-74 as a team. The Bulldogs also rank No. 1 in the conference in average offensive rebounds (19) and rebounding margin (+14.8).

THE STARTING FIVE

Returning to Bryant's starting lineup is reigning NEC Player of the Year Breanna Rucker and NEC Rookie of the Year Ivory Bailey. Joining them is center Morgan Olander and shooting guard Tiersa Winder, all of which started for the Bulldogs last year. Junior Chanel Ramcharran came off the bench against Seton Hall and provided the leadership the Bulldogs needed. Since then the point guard has started the next three contests for the Bulldogs.

THE CENTER

Morgan Olander made 30 appearances last season, starting in all of them as the Bulldogs' center. The forward has been instrumental in the Bryant defense, seizing 240 defensive boards, while recording 28 steals and 36 blocks last season. Olander has been asset offensively, scoring double-digit points on 19 occasions, including a season high of 19 against LIU Brooklyn (Jan. 26). This season the center averages 5.5 points for the Bulldogs in their first four games of the season, while grabbing the team's second highest 6.8 rebounds per game.

CONSISTENT

Winder returns to the starting five, coming off a standout junior season, where she started all 31 games for the Black and Gold, sitting just behind Rucker for total points on the season, with 455. The versatile guard also dished out 61 assists, including a game-high of four on six different occasions. Winder put up a team-high and season-high 21 points against UMass Lowell, including a trio of three-pointers, while shooting 9-14 from the floor. The guard also managed seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end against Seton Hall. Winder hit three threes against Cornell and went 100% from the line, finishing with 11 points in the contest.

DOMINANT

Breanna Rucker is coming off a dominant 2014-15 season, where she ranked top 20 in the nation in rebounds and double-doubles, with 22 in 31 games.  The power forward found has recorded two double-doubles in the 2015-16 season against Vermont, pulling down 14 rebounds, while managing 21 points and UMass Lowell, with 15 rebounds and 20 points. This season, the senior is averaging 12.5 rebounds per game, which places her first in the NEC. Rucker is also first in the conference in offensive rebounding per game with six, while also averaging 15 points per game. The 5-11 forward has recorded 24 offensive rebounds this year 26 defensive rebounds, including a game-high 10 against Vermont. Rucker leads the Bulldogs in offensive efficiency, shooting 48.6% from the floor (18-37) and 88% from the line (22-25) in her 128 minutes of play.

THE GO-TO

Ivory Bailey is the Bulldogs' leading scorer through the first four games of the season, averaging 16.5 points per game. The 5-7 guard put up a season-high 21 points on the road against Seton Hall and 15 points in each of the last three games. In an average of 35.8 minutes per game, Bailey is averaging 2.3 assists per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 42.9% from the floor and 38.1% from behind the arc.

THE FLOOR GENERAL

Junior Chanel Ramcharran has started the last three games for the Bulldogs after a standout performance at Seton Hall, where she scored five points, three rebounds and two assists of the bench. The point guard scored a career-high nine points against UMass Lowell, while shooting 2-3 from three.