Bryant falls to Boston College in season opener, 65-42

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Senior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) scored a team-high 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Boston College, 65-42, on Friday at the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

 The game marked the tip-off of the 2017-18 season as both teams were in action for the first time this season.

GAME INFORMATION

Boston College 65, Bryant 42

Records: Bryant 0-1, Boston College 1-0

Location: Conte Forum (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)

Attendance: 748

KEY MOMENTS

• BC went on a 7-1 to close out the second quarter and create a 14-point lead heading into the second half. Bryant would narrow the lead to get within 10, but could not come back after a Milan Bolden-Morris 3-pointer went in to close the first half.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bulldogs matched the Eagles pace early in the game. At the game's first media timeout, the Black and Goal trailed 12-8 and at that point were 4-of-6 from the field.
• The Eagles were able to create some security, outscoring Bryant 15-8 in the second quarter.
• Led by five points from Ashley, the Bulldogs outscored the Eagles in the third quarter. Bryant scored 15 points and kept BC to a game-low 12 points in the third frame.
• In that quarter, the Bulldogs went on an 8-2 run to get back to within 10 points of the Eagles.

STATS

• Bryant led Boston College in blocks. The freshmen duo of Hannah Scanlan (Rumson, N.J.) and Julia Kelner (Fayetteville, N.Y.) accounted for five of the team's six blocks. Scanlan led the way with three, while Kelner had two swats.
• Ashley's nine rebounds were tied with BC's Bolden-Morris for the game-high.  She collected one offensive and eight defensive rebounds on the afternoon.
• Junior Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) led all players with four assists.
• Ashley finished 5-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the free throw line.
• Senior captain Kathleen Everson (Farmingville, N.Y.) scored a career-high eight points, going 4-of-5 from the floor in Friday's contest. The Empire State native also collected four rebounds for the Bulldogs.

GAME NOTES

• Friday marked the first game of the season for both sides.
• The Bulldogs starting lineup consisted of three players making their first career starts. Sophomore Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) made her first career start after being the sixth woman off the bench last year. Mary Besselink (Kingston, Ont.) and Kelner each made starts in their collegiate debuts.
• All 12 players on the Bryant roster played in Friday's game.
• Bryant is now 0-4 all-time versus Boston College.

UP NEXT

Bryant will travel to Providence to play Ocean State rival Brown on Sunday. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. tip-off.