Regular season tips off Friday at ACC-foe Boston College

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After a long offseason, the Bryant University women's basketball team is officially back in action on Friday, where the Bulldogs take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill. The game is slated for a noon tipoff and is the first game of the season featuring a team from the Northeast Conference. The game can be watched on the ACC Network Extra and ESPN3.com.

THE PARTICULARS:
Game Time: Friday, Nov. 10 – Noon
Watch Live: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: BCEagles.com
Game Notes: Bryant | Boston College

SCOUTING THE BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES:
Last season, Boston College finished the season 9-21 with a 2-14 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Eagles were edged by Georgia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament, 71-67.

Georgia Pineau is the Eagles leading returning scorer, having averaged 7.5 points per game a season ago. Pineau was also a solid rebounder for BC, grabbing 5.4 boards a contest.

The Eagles are coached by Erik Johnson, who enters his sixth season in Chestnut Hill. He returned to BC after serving a four-year stint from 2005-2008. As a head coach, Johnson is 133-144 all-time.

SERIES HISTORY vs. BOSTON COLLEGE
Friday marks the fourth time that the Bulldogs and Eagles have met on the court. Boston College holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time meetings, having last squared off with the Bulldogs on Dec. 30, 2015.

MEET THE NEWCOMERS
The Bryant University women's basketball team welcomes ve new faces to the team this season. Mary Besselink (Kingston, Ont.) and Kandis Taylor (Sunrise, Fla.) are new guards for Mary Burke's squad this year, while Hannah Scanlan (Rumson, N.J.) and Julia Kelner (Fayetteville, N.Y.) will see time at the forward position. Brooke Bjelko (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) comes to the Bulldogs as a center.

NOTHING CAN STOP ME, I'M HOLLOWAY UP
Sophomore wing Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) was named to the NEC All-Rookie team last season after an impressive first-year campaign. Holloway had averages of 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1 steal per game last season. Holloway's best performance came at Sacred Heart, when she went for 21 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, had four steals and two blocks, all career-highs.

DROPPING DIMES
Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) led the NEC in assists last season, totaling 155 on the season (4.8/game). Palmer had double-digit assists in three contests in the 2016-17 season, including a Division I program record of 14 against Saint Francis U on Feb. 18. Palmer also scored 12 points that game, earning the first double-double of her career.

BUDDING STAR
After just 10 appearances through her first two seasons, Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) played in all 32 games last season, making 30 starts. Ashley averaged 5.7 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game, while also leading the team in steals, swiping 2 per contest. In the NEC Tournament, Ashley averaged 11 points, 10 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. For her play, Ashley was named to the NEC All-Tournament Team.

SHARPSHOOTER
Junior Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) was third in the NEC last season in 3-point field goal percentage. Connors was 39.9% from long range last season, behind only Robert Morris' Megan Smith (46.5%) and Sacred Heart's Shelby Hickey (40%). In the NEC Seminal win over SHU, Connors was 5-5 from downtown and finished the game with 17 points, which tied a career high.

BOARDING SCHOOL
Bryant led the Northeast Conference in rebounds last season, crashing the glass and collecting 1,274 boards. The Bulldogs held opponents to 1,089 rebounds over the course of the season, which equated to a difference of 5.8 per game in Bryant's favor. They outrebounded opponents in 23 of the 32 games played last season.

POWER FIVE DRAW
When Bryant opens the season at Boston College, it will mark the eighth time over the past five years that the Bulldogs have played a team in one of the Power-5 conferences. Last season, Bryant played at Rutgers, Pittsburgh, and Providence and opened the season at Seton Hall in 2015.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Bryant is scheduled to play six schools that made national postseason appearances last season. Robert Morris received a bid into the NCAA Tournament, while Sacred Heart, New Hampshire, and James Madison all participated in the WNIT. Saint Francis U and Brown were both selected to participate in the WBI.

EVERSON NAMED CAPTAIN
Bryant senior Kathleen Everson (Farmingville, N.Y.) was named a captain ahead of the 2017-18 season by head coach Mary Burke. Everson, a forward from Farmingville, New York, scored a career-high seven points vs. St. Francis Brooklyn last season.

TICKET TO RIDE
Season ticket packages are available for the 2017-18 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-TIXX.