Blackbirds fly into Smithfield for Monday night contest

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team remains home on its four-game home stint, taking on LIU Brooklyn on Monday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES
This contest marks the 14th meeting between the Bulldogs and Blackbirds with the series heavily in Bryant's favor, 10-3. The Bulldogs have beaten the Blackbirds in eight-straight contests.

SCOUTING THE BLACKBIRDS
Sitting one game behind out of the top eight teams in the conference, the Blackbirds' season is on the line with five regular season games left to play before the conference tournament. LIU enters the contest on a three-game losing streak, dropping a game most recently to Fairleigh Dickinson, 67-54.

LIU Brooklyn is led offensively by Shanovia Dove, who averages 15.3 points per game, placing her third in the league in scoring, just above Bryant's Alex Klein at fourth. Also making the NEC top-30 scoring list is Aja Boyd, who average 10.9 points per game. Dove is averaging 34.6 percent from the floor, 32.3 percent from three and 79.8 percent from the line. Boyd leads the Blackbirds with a 45.8 percent mark from the field, while finishing 58.6 percent from the line and a team-high 6.7 boards per game.

LAST VS. THE BLACKBIRDS
Despite a close-fought battle in their first meeting, the Bulldogs led LIU from the start and never looked back, securing its first Northeast Conference victory of the season, 62-53, ending 2016 on a winning note.

AT THE POUND
The Bulldogs hold the best home record in the league at 7-2, which boasts well for the Black and Gold, as they play five of their final six regular season games at home. In the first meetings with the final six teams, Bryant went 2-4.

OLANDER
Senior Morgan Olander recorded her first double-double of the season and eighth of her career against St. Francis Brooklyn off 12 points and 10 rebounds. The center's 10 boards marked her 16th double-digit rebounding game of her career. Olander also finished the game with four assists, three blocks and a career-high four steals in 34 minutes of play.

LOSSES ON THE BOARDS
The Bulldogs have lost six battles on the boards to Maine, Sacred Heart, Wagner, Robert Morris, Central Conn. and St. Francis Brooklyn by single digits.

REBOUNDING MARGIN
The Bulldogs average the NEC's highest rebounding margin at +5.3 per game, placing them 54th nationally. In the team's best performance, Bryant out-rebounded Brown by 23, marking their highest rebounding differential since the 2014 season.

FROM THE LINE
The Bulldogs are first in the NEC, shooting 76.5 percent from the line, placing them a team-best 21st in the country.

QUARTER BREAKDOWN
Of the 97 periods the Bulldogs have played this season, including the overtime against Holy Cross, they have outscored their opponents on 44 occasions. In their largest quarter differential, Bryant outscored St. Francis Brooklyn, 21-4, in the second period on the contest. The Bulldogs scored a season-low four points in the third quarter at Rutgers and at St. Francis Brooklyn, going just 1-for-13 and 1-for-14 from the floor, respectively. Bryant has tied their opponents in eight quarters.