Boyce scores career high, but Providence holds off Bryant 72-64

KINGSTON, R.I. – In the consolation game of the Ocean State Tip Off, the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Providence College, 72-64, Sunday afternoon.

Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) led the Bulldogs in scoring with an 18 point, 11-rebound performance. Taty LaFrance Boyce (Norwich, Conn.) trailed Holloway by just one point scoring a career-high 17 points.

GAME INFORMATION
Providence 72, Bryant 64
Records: Bryant 2-6, Providence 4-3
Location: The Ryan Center (Kingston, R.I.)

COACH BURKE COMMENTS

"I really thought that today we did a much better job and competed against Providence right until the end. Unfortunately, in the first half we missed foul shots and had some trouble dealing with their size with their two 6-5 centers. I was happy with our balance of scoring and I can see improvement on just coming out ready to play. We can definitely take some good things away from today's game."

KEY MOMENT

• Providence went on a 10-1 run to close out the first quarter, giving the Friars a nine-point lead.
• Bryant's 11-2 run in the second quarter led by Holloway put the Bulldogs within three going into the half.
• After Bryant tied the game three different times throughout the course of the day, Providence's 7-2 run at the end of the game gave the Friars the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the middle of the first quarter, Providence turned its three-point lead into a two-possession game when Chanell Williams made a three-point shot. William's basket began the Friars 10-1 run to close out the first quarter.
• With just under three minutes to go in the half, Masey Zegarowski (Tilton, Mass.) sank two free throws to start Bryant's 11-2 run, making it a one-possession game of just three points as the teams went to the locker rooms.
• Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) found Hannah Scanlan (Rumson, N.J.) by herself in the paint to tie the game in the third quarter.
• Boyce sank two free throws with 20 seconds to go in the third quarter to tie the game again, but Providence answered scoring a layup right as time expired.
• Scanlan evened the score for the third time but Jovana Nogic for the Friars hits a three to bring the advantage back to Providence.
• Providence scored 11 of its 18 points at the free throw line in the fourth quarter shooting 68.8%. The Friars went on a 7-2 run with a little over 30 seconds to go in the game off free throws alone.  

STATS

• Three Bulldogs scored in double digits including, Holloway with 18, Boyce with 17, and Palmer with 14.
• Holloway led the Bulldogs for the fourth straight game with 11 rebounds.
• Scanlan led with two steals and the lone block for Bryant.
• Today's game is the second in a row, third of the season, where Bryant tied its opponent on the boards. Both Bryant and Providence grabbed 32 rebounds apiece.
• Bryant scored 20 of its points from the foul line shooting 69%.
• Providence outshot the Bulldogs shooting 49.1% from the field compared to Bryant's 42%.

GAME NOTES

• Boyce's 17 points was a career high.
• Holloway now compiles 943 career points as she is just 57 points shy of 1,000.
• The Bulldogs drop 4-1 in the Division I era to Providence.
• This is the first year since the beginning of the Ocean State Tip Off in 2016 where Bryant went winless.

UP NEXT

Bryant continues its seven-game road stretch by traveling to Boston College on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip.