Bulldogs battle Colonials Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN3

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Facing off against the team that ended its 2014-15 season, the Bryant University women's basketball team clashes with Robert Morris on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.

THE SERIES
This contest will mark the 14th meeting between the Bulldogs and Colonials with the series mark in Robert Morris's favor, 10-3. The Bulldogs have found all three of their wins at home in the Chace Athletic Center. In the most recent meeting, No. 2 Bryant lost to No. 3 Robert Morris, 68-62, in the Northeast Conference Semifinals in Smithfield, R.I.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
The Colonials sit tied for second with Saint Francis U. and Sacred Heart in the NEC. Robert Morris, similar to the Bulldogs, are a force on the offensive glass, averaging a league leading15.67 offensive rebounds per game in conference play. Through 17 games, the Colonials grab 39.2 rebounds per outing while averaging 2.5 more rebounds than their opponents. The Colonials are led by the scoring efforts of junior Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who averages 13.8 points per game,  shooting 39.7 percent from the field. The Preseason All-NEC pick also leads the team in total assists and steals with 46 and 29, respectively. The 5-9 guard has proven she has range, knocking down 3.17 threes per game in league play.

AMONGST THE FEW
Since joining the NEC, Bryant is one of only five teams to start conference play at 6-0. Amongst them, only three teams reached a 7-0 start, including 2012-13 Quinnipiac, who went 18-0 in the conference and won the NEC Championship. The three other teams to go unbeaten in the first six NEC contests are 2009-10 Sacred Heart (6-0), 2010-11 Robert Morris (7-0) and 2011-12 Sacred Heart (7-0).

OUTSCORING THE OPPOSITION
For the first time this season, the Bulldogs have reversed their negative point deficit and now average +0.4 more points than their opponents after digging themselves out of a 36-point hole, following the first game of the season against Seton Hall (11/13/15). The Bulldogs were able to do so by dominating in league play, averaging 16.8 more points than thier competitors.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Bryant's game against Robert Morris will mark the fifth time the Black and Gold have appeared on ESPN3 in Division I, posting a 1-3 record on the broadcast. The Colonials have handed the Bulldogs all three of their national broadcast defeats, including NEC Semifinal losses on March 12, 2014 (72-67) and March 11, 2015 (68-62). The Colonials' third win over the Bulldogs on ESPN3 came during the 2013-14 regular season, where they won, 73-62, in Smithfield. Bryant's only national broadcast win came at Fairleigh Dickinson on Feb. 16, 2015, when the Bulldogs took it, 63-61.

THREE-BALL QUEEN
Despite her recent struggle from downtown, senior Tiersa Winder's three against St. Francis Brooklyn (Jan. 18) matched the program's Division I record for most career 3-pointers at 132. Winder ties Katie Whittington (2009-13), who shot 34 percent from behind the arc in her four years in Smithfield.

EBONY...NO IVORY
Reigning NEC Rookie of the Year Ivory Bailey has found less success in the points category for the Bulldogs. The sophomore hasn't scored double-digit points in three-straight games, recording a season-low two against LIU Brooklyn on Jan. 16. In nonleague play, Bailey averaged 13 points a game, while earning 8.7 in conference. Bailey has found other ways to contribute, converting on more assists and rebounds per game in NEC play, including a season-high 13 rebounds at Fairleigh Dickinson (Jan. 4) and six assists against LIU Brooklyn (Jan. 16).

OLANDER'S HOT HAND
In the last six games, junior Morgan Olander has shot 75 percent (30-for-40) from the field, which leads the NEC in field goal percentage through conference play. The center scored a season-high 18 points, shooting 80 percent (8-10) from the field in the, 70-59, win at Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 11. Olander shot 5-for-5 from the floor at Wagner on Jan. 9 with 10 of her 11 points coming in the second quarter alone. The center nailed 4-of-5 field goals from outside the paint, all of which hit nothing but nylon.

GETTING BUCKETS
Senior Breanna Rucker has been producing for the Bulldogs on the offensive end, scoring double-digit points in 11 games while leading the team with 14.6 points per outing. The reigning NEC Player of the Year averages 18.5 points per game in conference play while shooting 54.7 percent from the field, enough to hold down the fourth spot in the league in both categories. The forward put up a season-high 25 points against LIU Brooklyn (Jan. 16) and recorded her fifth 20+ point game at St. Francis Brooklyn (Jan. 18) on a 23-point performance.

NOT TODAY
The Bulldogs were strong defensively at St. Francis Brooklyn, denying any Terrier a double-digit point performance, including holding their leading scorer. This marks the first time since March 2, 2013 that the Bulldogs have prevented a player from scoring 10+ points (Saint Francis U.).

DRY SPELL
Senior Tiersa Winder has struggled from 3-point land in the last three games, going only 1-for-13, while coming up empty against Mount St. Mary's (Jan. 11) and LIU Brooklyn (Jan. 16) (0-for-9). The back-to-back games mark the first time the senior has gone scoreless from beyond the arc since the 2013-14 season against Central Connecticut (March 3) and St. Francis Brooklyn (March 9). Last season the shooting guard scored 66 threes, placing her second in Bryant's all-time record book for 3-point field goals made in a single season.

AT THE POUND
When playing in the Chace Athletic Center, the Bulldogs are 61-41 since moving to Division I.

FILLING A VOID
After starting the season with five different players running the point, head coach Mary Burke has found a floor general in freshman Kierra Palmer, who has started all of the Bulldogs' conference games. The Maryland native has proven she can supply Bryant offensively, scoring a season-high 12 points against Cornell (Nov. 15) and averages 3.9 points per game. Palmer dished out a career-high nine assists at Wagner on Jan. 9 and averages 2.88 helpers per game. The freshman has recorded five or more dimes on three occasions and tops the conference leaderboard with 4.5 helpers per NEC contest.