Bulldogs host Boston University in midweek tilt

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University women's basketball hosts Boston University on Wednesday for the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off and will be played in the Chace Athletic Center on the Bryant campus.

THE PARTICULARS
Opponent: Boston University
Game Time: Wednesday, Nov. 29 – 7:00 p.m.
Watch Live: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: BryantBulldogs.com
Tickets: Purchase
Game Notes: Boston University | Bryant

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
Boston University comes into Wednesday's game with a 3-2 record on the year. In the Terriers' last game, BU topped Boston College, 61-57. The Terriers have also played New Hampshire this season, falling to the Wildcats, 72-57.

Katie Nelson leads BU in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game on the season. She is also the team's leader in assists, averaging 5.2 each time out. Nelson has twice been named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week, taking home honors in each of the last two weeks.

Payton Hauck has been the Terriers' second option on offense, averaging 13.0 points this season in 24.4 minutes per game.

The Terriers are coached by Katy Steding, who enters her fourth year as the head of the Terrier program in 2017-18. Last season, Steding led the Terriers to a 13-17 record, which was a 10-win improvement over the 2015-16 season.

SERIES HISTORY vs. HOLY CROSS
Wednesday marks the first-ever matchup between Boston University and Bryant.

NOTHING CAN STOP ME, I'M HOLLOWAY UP
After being named to the NEC All-Rookie team last season, sopho­more Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) started up right where she left off at Brown, where she led Bryant with 19 points and nine rebounds. Holloway has earned double-doubles in two of the team's last three games, including a 24-point, 12-rebound performance at Holy Cross last time out. Holloway had two rebounds in her freshman season, al­ready reaching that mark as a sophomore.

BUDDING STAR
After a breakout season in 2016-17, Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) has been a force for the Bryant Bulldogs through the early stages of the season. Ashley was a rebound shy of a double-double against Boston College, going for 12 points and nine rebounds. In the team's second game, Ashley scored eight points and pulled down six boards off the glass, also coming away with three steals.

DROPPING DIMES
Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) led the NEC in assists last season, to­taling 155 on the season (4.8/game). In 2017-18, Palm­er had a season-best nine assists when the University of New Hampshire Wildcats visited the Chace Athletic Center on Nov. 21. She is currently second in the NEC with 4.8 per game.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Sydney Holloway and Naomi Ashley have been a dynamic duo over Bryant's first five games this sea­son. Either Holloway or Ashley has been the leading scorer or rebounder in each game for the Bulldogs.

WOMAN OF STEAL
In a two-point overtime defeat at Holy Cross, Naomi Ashley set a Bryant Division I program record for steals in a game with nine. She bested the previous best of eight set by Danielle Douglas in the 2010-2011 season. The program record belongs to Beth Connealy (now Wandyes), who had 10 in a game versus Springfield in 1995.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Bulldogs went 12-2 inside the Chace Athletic Center last season and had the best home winning percentage in the NEC. In the past three seasons, the women's basketball team has a .761 home winning percentage, going 35-11 in that span. The three occupants of the Chace Athletic Center - Bryant's men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams - went a combined 31-10 (.756) on the floor in Smithfield in 2016-17 and 21-4 (.840) in NEC play.

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.

OCEAN STATE TIP-OFF
For the second consecutive season, Bryant will compete in the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament. The tournament pits the four Rhode Island Division I basketball schools against each other, with Bryant facing Rhode Island on Dec. 2 and the winner of Brown and Providence on Dec. 3.

BAKERS DOZEN
Bryant will play 13 regular-season home games, beginning with the home opener against New Hampshire on Nov. 21. They also host Boston University (Nov. 29), Binghamton (Dec. 7), and Hartford (Dec. 10), as well as all NEC opponents.

POWER FIVE DRAW
When Bryant opened the season at Boston College, it marked 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.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Bryant finished 11-7 in NEC regular-season games last season, which was the fourth-straight season finishing above .500 in conference play. In home games versus NEC opponents, Bryant was 8-1 last season and is 31-16 inside the Chace Athletic Center in the regular season going back the previous five seasons.

EVERSON NAMED CAPTAIN
Bryant senior Kathleen Everson (Farmingville, Md.) was named a captain ahead of the 2017-18 season by head coach Mary Burke. Everson, a forward from Farmingville, New York, has averaged 5.4 points per game this season, setting new career highs in points on two occasions.

OCEAN STATE OF MIND
Of the four Division I schools in Rhode Island, Bryant has had the highest win total over the past five seasons. Bryant has collected 75 wins over the past five seasons, which is 23 more than the next highest total (Brown).

BRYANT ADDS TWO
Bryant University women's basketball added two future Bulldogs during the early signing period, receiving National Letters of Intent from Trinity Bravo (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Alexandra Hart (Saco, Maine).

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.

FRONT ROW SEAT
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference are once again affiliated with the Pack Network and NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2017-18 athletic seasons, includ­ing live, free-of-charge, high-definition broadcasts of all Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard, state-of-the-art graphics and DVR functionality. Visit NECFrontRow.com for more information and a complete schedule of events.