Bryant meets with Sacred Heart Monday night
FAIRFIELD, CONN. – After a come-from-behind thriller against Mount St. Mary's, the Bryant University women's basketball team is back in action on Monday, January 14 as the Bulldogs take on Sacred Heart at 6 p.m.
THE PARTICULARS
Opponent: Sacred Heart
Location: Pitt Center
Date and Time: Monday, January 14 – 6 p.m.
TV: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Presto Stats
Game Notes: Bryant
THE MATCHUP
Bryant continues its road schedule by traveling to Sacred Heart on Monday, January 14 at 6 p.m.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart posts a record of 7-7 overall and is undefeated in conference winning its first three games against Central Connecticut, LIU Brooklyn, and Wagner.
Katherin Haines and Adrianne Hagood lead the Pioneers in scoring averaging 15 and 12.7 points per game. Last time out Haines dropped 22 points while Hagood added 20.
Jessica Mannetti leads Sacred Heart in her fifth season as head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
Monday will be the 22nd time in history that the two teams have met as Sacred Heart holds the advantage 15-6. The Bulldogs and the Pioneers met three times last season and the Black and Gold took two out of the three meetings. Sacred Heart took down Bryant in the NEC quarterfinals, 80-63.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 73, MOUNT ST. MARY'S 68
The Bulldogs defeated Mount St. Mary's, 73-68, in a come-from-behind fourth quarter push overcoming a 14-point deficit.
Brooke Bjelko (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) had a career game scoring a career-best 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) led with 17-points in her home state shooting 5-of-6 from three.
NEXT MAN UP
After not playing a minute for two straight games, sophomore Brooke Bjelko had a career-game at Mount St. Mary's to help Bryant come back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to take down the Mount. Bjelko had 15 points, 12 rebounds shooting 7-of-11 from the field.
ZEGA-WHO?
Junior guard Masey Zegarowski (Hilton, Mass.) was a major contributor in Bryant's Northeast Conference opening weekend scoring a season-high 16 points against LIU Brooklyn, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from three. Zegarowski hit two back-to-back three's late in the fourth quarter to regain the lead and push the Bulldogs past LIU. She followed up her performance against St. Francis Brooklyn scoring 10 points shooting 3-of-11 from the field. The junior also scored double-digits at Mount St. Mary's with 11 points shooting 5-of-13 from the field.
DISHING IT OUT
Kierra Palmer led the Bulldogs with a season-high 10 assists in conference opener vs. LIU Brooklyn. She currently leads the Bulldogs with 60 assists so far on the season and is ranked second in the NEC for assists per game with 4.3. Palmer is 31 assists away from 500 and only six players in NEC's history has ever reached the milestone.
PICKING POCKETS
Fifth-year senior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) leads Bryant with 26 steals thus far this season. Ashley swiped a season-high seven steals against Brown and has followed up her defensive performance compiling 4 at BC and 5 at Hartford. Ashley stole four which is the most shes's stolen against and NEC team this year.
SEEING DOUBLE
Junior forward Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) tallies 11 double-doubles so far this season, 30 for her career, leading the NEC. Holloway ranks eighth in the country for her double-double efforts averaging a double-double a night with 18.4 points per game and 13.1 rebounds per game.
BOARDING SCHOOL
Bryant is now second in the NEC with 585 rebounds posting 41.79 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs have only been outrebounded twice this year at Boston College, 47-37, and Holy Cross, 51-34. The Bulldogs were even wtih West Virginia, Brown, and Providence. Holloway leads the Bulldogs and the conference with 183 rebounds ranking her 9th in the country. The junior forward also leads the conference with most offensive rebounds a game with five as she ranks third in the country in that category.
CHARITY STRIPE
Bryant is third in the conference for free throw attempts. They are also third in the NEC for free throws made with 196 giving the Bulldogs a percentage of 65.6%. Sydney Holloway is second in the conference in free throw attempts (93) and free throws made (58).
UP NEXT: ROBERT MORRIS
Bryant comes back to Chace on Saturday, January 19 to host Robert Morris for a 1 p.m. matinee.