Bulldogs fall to Black Bears, 76-38, on the road

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded a team-high eight points and 11 rebounds, but it was not enough, as the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Maine,  76-38, on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (2-7) took their second lead of the game off a layup from sophomore Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) to go up by one, 5-4, with 6:20 to play in the first quarter. On the pursuing play, the Black Bears (8-4) went back on top, 6-5, when senior Liz Wood hit a bucket from inside the paint, triggering a 13-point run over the span of nearly five minutes. Rucker hit one from the line to end the run and put the Bulldogs down 14 with 1:07 to play in the first quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, senior Dani Anderson (Wellington, Kan.) scored her only points of the contest, after dibbling baseline and pulling up for the jumper in the corner to put the Bulldogs back within 12, 24-12. The Black Bears continued to widen the gap, scoring 21 to Bryant's 10 points in the second quarter, and the home team stayed hot, resulting in the 76-38 victory.

Behind Rucker, Bailey finished with seven points, shooting 3-for-9 overall and 1-for-2 from the chalk. Senior Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) added five points, including a three midway through the third quarter that put the Bulldogs down 25, 48-23.

The Black and Gold shot 13-of-47 (27.7 percent) from the floor, 1-of-16 (6.3 percent) and 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) from the line. For the ninth-straight game, the Bulldogs outrebounded their opponent, 36-26, while grabbing 10 more offensive boards than the Black Bears. The Bulldogs worked to keep the Black Bears off the free throw line, allowing the home team only seven free shots, while Bryant made 14 trips to the line.

Maine shot 33-for-57 (57.9 percent) from the floor, 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) and 3-for-7 (42.9 percent) from the free throw line. Three Black Bears recorded double-digit points, including game leader Sigi Koizar with 18 points off 8-of-14 from the field and 2-for-8 from 3-point land. Wood logged 15 points off 6-for-9 overall, while Sophie Weckstrom contributed 10 off 4-of-8.

The Bulldogs return to action on Sunday, December 20 at 1 p.m., when New Hampshire visits the Chace Athletic Center.