No. 2 Bulldogs host No. 7 Blackbirds in NEC Quarterfinal, Sunday at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - After finishing second in the Northeast Conference, the Bryant University women's basketball team hosts No. 7 LIU Brooklyn in the conference quarterfinals on Sunday at 1 p.m.

THE SERIES
This contest will mark the 13th meeting between the Bulldogs and Blackbirds with the series in Bryant's favor, 9-3. The Bulldogs most recently defeated the Blackbirds, 62-53, in Brooklyn on Feb. 27 to help seal the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament. With a win over Wagner, 71-66, in the last regular season game, the Blackbirds were able to clinch a spot in the league's postseason, tying with Mount St. Mary's in the seventh slot. 

SCOUTING THE BLACKBIRDS
The Blackbirds finished NEC play with a 7-11 mark, most recently defeating Wagner, 71-66, on Feb. 29 in Brooklyn. The win came down to the wire but resulted in LIU Brooklyn's favor, helping the Blackbirds to the No. 7 seed in the conference. The Blackbirds are led offensively by Shanovia Dove who scores 14.5 points per game, shooting 32.3 percent from the floor and 78.9 percent from the line. Last time the Bulldogs faced Dove, she put up 23 points, hitting5-of-11 from 3-point land. Shanice Vaughan has started 27 games for the Blackbirds, averaging the team's second-highest 12.0 points per game, shooting a team-high 42.6 percent from the floor. 

CLINCHED
Posting a 14-4 NEC record, the Bulldogs have solidified the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament, hosting No. 7 LIU Brooklyn on Sunday, March 6, at 1 p.m. In their best-ever finish the Bulldogs tied with Central Connecticut as the NEC Regular Season Champions last season. 

MADE IN MARCH
The Bulldogs' 14-4 conference record marks the second-consecutive year that Bryant has finished with that mark. The conference total also marks the Bulldogs' fourth-straight appearance in the NEC Tournament. The Black and Gold have also have made it as far as the NEC Semifinals in back-to-back years, falling No. 1 Robert Morris, 72-67, in the 2013-14 season and No. 3 Robert Morris, 68-62, last year. 

ALL-NEC SELECTIONS
As announced by the league on Feb. 5, the Bulldogs placed a member on all four teams, including senior Breanna Rucker, who earned First Team All-NEC, sophomore Ivory Bailey, a Second Team All-NEC selection, senior Tiersa Winder a third team honoree and freshman Kierra Palmer, who was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team. 

BULLDOGS IN THE NEC
Since joining the Northeast Conference, the Bulldogs have gone 72-55 in league play, including their two most successful seasons last and this year, where they finished 14-4. The Bulldogs have reached the conference tournament in the last three seasons, reaching the NEC Semifinals last year after earning a share of the regular-season title and defeating No. 7 Mount St. Mary's, 76-54, in the league quarterfinals. 

AT THE POUND
When playing in the Chace Athletic Center, the Bulldogs are 65-42 since moving to Division I. 

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Four Bulldogs have earned double-doubles this season, led by senior Breanna Rucker, who notched her 19th double-double of the 2015-16 season against Fairleigh Dickinson (Feb. 29). Her performance marks her 10th-straight double-double game and 51st of her career. Rucker's 19 double-doubles rank first in the NEC and sixth in the nation. Junior Morgan Olander recorded her first double-double performance of the season against the Pioneers, posting 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore Ivory Bailey recorded her fourth double-double of the season and fifth of her career off 10 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Francis U. (Jan. 25), marking two-straight games with such a performance. Junior Alex Klein logged her first-career double-double off 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds against Brown (Dec 6).