Wildcats visit Smithfield Sunday at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - In the quest to break a five-game losing streak, the Bryant University women's basketball team hosts New Hampshire in the Chace Athletic Center on Sunday at 1 p.m.

THE SERIES
This contest will mark the second meeting between the Bulldogs (2-7) and Wildcats (6-4) in Division I play. The Bulldogs return to Smithfield with a 2-0 edge over the Wildcats, including last years', 57-54, win in Durham.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire enters the contest after losing two-straight games, including their latest defeat on the road against Boston College, 71-51.

The Wildcats are led offensively by senior Elizabeth Belanger, who averages 15.8 points, shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three and 89.2 percent from the line. The 5-10 guard leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per contest in her 10 starts for the visitors.

Sophomore Carlie Poque averages the team's third-most points per game, with 11.2, shooting 47 percent from the floor and 81.8 percent from the chalk. The 6-0 center scored her first double-double of the season against Northeastern, totaling 13 points and 11 rebounds.

STRUGGLING IN ORONO
The Bulldogs scored a season-low 38 points against Maine, with no players scoring in double digits. The Black Bears forced the Black and Gold into 25 turnovers, while holding them to 13-for-47 (27.7 percent) from the floor. The Bulldogs were ice cold from downtown, going 1-for-16 (6.3 percent) from behind the arc.

DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
The Bulldogs struggled more than usual against Maine on the defensive side of the ball, allowing the Black Bears to shoot 57.9 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three. Bryant was only able to record one steal and one block, falling below their season average.

The Black and Gold pressured the Friars into coughing up the ball on 15 occasions, including five in the first and four in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs forced the Bears into 10 turnovers, five of which occurred on steals, while also recording three blocks.

The Black and Gold held UMass Amherst to 14 points in the second quarter, while forcing them into two offensive turnovers. The in the third period, Bryant tied the Minutewomen, allowing only 20 points. The Bulldogs held Massachusetts to only two baskets in the paint, while also pressuring them into five turnovers in the period.

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. Bryant also held Holy Cross to 10 points in the third quarter off three jumpers and a pair of layups in 10 minutes of play.

The Black and Gold have captured 125 total defensive rebounds, averaging 25 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.

DEFENSE BEYOND THE ARC
Opponents have been able to find success from three-point land against the Bulldogs. Through the first nine games, Bryant has allowed opponents to shoot 44.8 percent from behind the arc, placing them last in the Northeast Conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense.

The Bulldogs only allowed Providence eight 3-point attempts, but the Friars sank five of them, equating to a 62.5 percent shooting night for the home team from behind the arc. The Bears shot 55 percent from three in the game, hitting 11-for-20 from downtown. Shayna Mehta went 7-for-7 for Brown from behind the arc. The Bulldogs allowed Massachusetts to shoot 6-9 (66.7 percent) from three-point land, with two players finishing 3-4 from the outside.

In the first half against Holy Cross, the Black and Gold allowed the Crusaders to hit 5-10 (50 percent) from downtown. On the other hand, the Bulldogs allowed UMass Lowell to shoot 5-11 (45.5 percent) from three-point land in the second half of play. Cornell found the greatest success against the Bulldogs, burying 5-8 (62.5 percent) open threes, which allowed the Big Red to edge out the home team by eight. Bryant's season opener saw a tough competitor in Seton Hall, who shot 47.8 percent from downtown. The Bulldogs gave up a season-high 11 treys against the Pirates, leading to a season-high 93 points allowed.

BOUNDS BY THE POUND
One of the Bulldogs' biggest strength is their performance on the glass, both offensively and defensively, out-rebounding all nine of their competitors.

Despite their 76-38 loss, the Bulldogs were still able to outrebound the Black Bears, 36-26, grabbing 10 more offensive rebounds than the home team.

Facing a taller team in Providence, the Bulldogs still managed to out-rebound the Friars by 12 overall with the margin coming on the offensive glass. Bryant accumulated 21 offensive boards, while the Providence only managed nine.

With the team's leading rebounder in Rucker out for the game, the Bulldogs still out-rebounded Brown by 18, grabbing 16 more offensive rebounds than the Bears. Klein and Ivory both recorded double-digit boards, while Olander grabbed nine and Anderson found eight of her own.

Despite Massachusetts' size and athleticism, the Bulldogs were able to outrebound them by nine, led by Rucker, who grabbed 11 rebounds and Alex Klein with seven.

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 four of five contests, including a season-high 15 on two occasions (at UMass Lowell and at Holy Cross).

The backcourt has been impactful on the glass, with Winder averaging 3.4 and Bailey with 5.6 per game, including a season-high seven rebounds in the last two contests.

The Bulldogs finished with a season-high of 50 boards against Vermont. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Catamounts by 19, including 18 on the offensive glass and 32 defensively. The Black and Gold currently outrebound their competitors by 13 boards per game, placing them first in the Northeast Conference.

A TEAM OF FIRSTS
The Bulldogs sit atop a number of Northeast Conference charts this season. The Bulldogs rank No. 1 in the conference in rebounding offense (42.3), rebounding defense (29.7), rebounding margin (+12.7) and average offensive rebounds per game (18.3).

FROM THREE
Against Massachusetts, Tiersa Winder went 4-8 (50 percent) from three, including two in the first quarter during her eight-point run. Ivory Bailey shot 3-7 (42.9 percent) from behind the arc against Holy Cross. The team finished 7-22 (31.8 percent), including three-pointers from four different players. Against Vermont, Bryant went 5-12 (41.7 percent) from downtown, led by the efforts of senior Tiersa Winder and Bailey, who each went 2-4. At UMass Lowell, the Bulldogs shot 9-16 (56.3 percent) from behind the arc, with five different players hitting from three-point land. Winder led the Bulldogs with a trio of made threes, including a key trey in the third quarter against the River Hawks. Already this season, the Black and Gold have put up 168 threes in eight games, finding success on 53 occasions, shooting a season-best 56.3 percent from 3-point land at UMass Lowell.

Last season the Bulldogs shot 29.1 percent 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 freshman Kierra 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.

In their worst performance of the season from three, the Bulldogs shot only 1-for-16 (6.3 percent) at Maine, with Winder nailing the only bucket from downtown.