Bulldogs open conference play Saturday, hosting the Blue Devils at 1 pm

GAMENOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University women's basketball team looks to kick off the New Year on a positive note, as the team begins conference play, hosting Central Connecticut on Saturday at 1 p.m. 

THE SERIES
This contest will mark the 15th meeting between the Bulldogs (3-8) and the Blue Devils (3-8) in Division I play. The series is tied at seven, with both teams 4-3 on their respective courts. 

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
The Blue Devils enter the Chace Athletic Center with the same record as the Bulldogs (3-8), after defeating Dartmouth, 59-55, in their last nonconference game of the season.

The Blue Devils are led offensively by their backcourt, including sophomore Camden Musgrave, junior Aleah Epps and senior Kayla Miller. Musgrave averages 11.6 points per game, shooting 42.7 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from behind the arc. Epps averages 8.7 points per contest, shooting 32.3 percent overall and 41.7 percent from three. Miller averages 7.1 points per game, shooting 31.5 percent in her 11 starts for the Blue Devils. Forward TeJahne Malone and center Emma Stroyan round out the starting five, with Malone averaging team-high 6.3 rebounds per contest.

DOMINANT IN THE FIRST HALF
The Bulldogs outscored the Boston College in the first quarter, 19-14, and took a seven point lead, matching the visitors' largest of the night. The Black and Gold stayed nearly even with the Eagles in the second, resulting in 10 lead changes, including the final one before the break, where senior Maureen Leahy scored with just seconds to spare.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
The Bulldogs defeated New Hampshire, with nine of the 14 players contributing to the 55-42 victory. Off the bench, junior Chanel Ramcharran and freshman Kierra Palmer added valuable minutes, each adding four points. Senior Dani Anderson played a strong 20 minutes for the Bulldogs, scoring six points, going 2-for-5 from three-point land.

TAMING THE WILDCATS
The Bulldogs prevented the Wildcats from scoring a single field goal in the second quarter. The only two points the visitors earned were from the free throw line, while the Black and Gold scored a quarter-high 17 points in the second.

DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
In comparison to the game against Maine, the Black and Gold dominated on defense against New Hampshire, holding them to 12-for-57 (21.1 percent) from the floor and 1-for-11 (9.1 percent) from behind the arc, while forcing them into 15 turnovers.

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.

BOUNDS BY THE POUND
One of the Bulldogs' biggest strengths is their performance on the glass, both offensively and defensively, out-rebounding all ten of their competitors. The Black and Gold currently outrebound their competitors by 11.5 boards per game, placing them first in the Northeast Conference.

In their smallest margin of the season, the Black and Gold only outrebounded the Eagles by two, 31-29, grabbing 24 on the defensive end.

The Bulldogs outrebounded the Wildcats by ten, marking their eighth positive double-digit rebounding differential, with senior Breanna Rucker leading the team with 11.

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 of 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. The Bulldogs collected 52 total boards against Brown, which stands as the most this season in a single game.

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.

INDIVIDUALS ON THE GLASS
Junior Morgan Olander has recorded two double-digit rebounding games, while Rucker has managed double-digit rebounds in eight contests, including a season-high 15 on two occasions (at UMass Lowell and at Holy Cross). Rucker sits six games away from 50 double-digit rebounding occurrences. The forward ranks first in the conference in rebounding (12.0) and offensive rebounds (5.22) per game.

Junior Alex Klein recorded her first career double-digit rebounding game against Brown, leading the team with 16, helping to place her sixth in the NEC in offensive rebounds (2.60).

The backcourt has been impactful on the glass, with sophomore Ivory Bailey averaging 5.6 per game, including a season-high 11 rebounds against Brown.

LEAHY ADDING VALUABLE MINUTES
Senior Maureen Leahy only averages 9.0 minutes per game, but provides a key role in the Bulldogs' success. The 6-2 center went 4-of-4 overall at Boston College, scoring a season-high eight points, including a last second layup to put the Bulldogs up one, 41-4, at the break. Leahy 3-for-3 from the field against New Hampshire, providing a season-high of six points. Leahy also recorded two blocks and two defensive rebounds in her nine minutes of play. The senior recorded a season-high three blocks at UMass Lowell, while adding a bucket to her 20-point total this season.

ANDERSON'S ROLE
Senior Dani Anderson has thrived in Smithfield, producing two of her best games in the Chace Athletic Center, including a season-high 12-point performance against Brown. In the most recent contest, the guard helped the Bulldogs pull away from the Wildcats, after hitting a three to put them up by 10. Anderson finished the game with six points, shooting 2-for-5 from three, while grabbing two defensive boards and one steal in her 20 minutes of play.

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 (42.4), rebounding defense (30.0), rebounding margin (+12.4) and average offensive rebounds per game (17.3).

FRESHMEN AT THE POINT
In the quest to find a permanent player to fill as floor general, head coach Mary Burke has tried both freshmen guards out as the point. Kierra Palmer has proven she can supply the Bulldogs offensively, scoring a season-high 12 points against Cornell, while also contributing five valuable points at Providence, including a three that helped the visitors narrow the gap. Haley Connors has started the last two contests for the Bulldogs, after a team-high 15-point performance against Brown, where the freshman shot 6-of-11 from the field in her 30 minutes of play.

DEFENSE BEYOND THE ARC
Opponents have been able to find success from three-point land against the Bulldogs. Through the first ten games, Bryant has allowed opponents to shoot 42 percent from behind the arc, placing them last in the Northeast Conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense.

The Eagles were able to hit eight threes from downtown, shooting 40 percent from behind the arc. 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-of-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-of-10 (50 percent) from downtown. The Bulldogs allowed UMass Lowell to shoot 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from three-point land in the second half of play. Cornell found the greatest success against the Bulldogs, burying 5-of-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.