Bryant drops consolation game of Ocean State Tip-Off

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Brooke Bjelko's (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) 13 point performance wasn't enough as the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Brown, 56-50, in the consolation game of the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament on Sunday afternoon. 

The Bulldogs drop to 1-8 overall after grabbing its lone win over Brown in the 2019-20 season opener. Senior Masey Zegarowski (Hamilton, Mass.) was named to the All-Tournament team after a combined 15 points, six assists, and eight-rebound performance.

GAME INFORMATION
Brown 56, Bryant 50
Records: Bryant (1-8), Brown (4-6)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)

KEY MOMENT

• The two teams battled back and forth for three quarters until Brown took off an 11-0 run to set themselves apart from the Bulldogs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams turned the ball over a total of three times in the first five possessions of the game until Brown's Ashley Ducharme pulled down an offensive rebound and put it back in for the first basket of the game.
• Bryant's first basket came at the 8:03 mark in the first quarter when the Bulldogs strung passes together to break Brown's press. Zegarowski caught the ball over half court and found Taty LaFrance Boyce (Norwich, Conn.) in the short corner for an easy jumper.
• LaFrance Boyce's jumper sparked a quick 5-0 run for the Black and Gold, but the Bears responded with a 5-0 run of their own to take the lead before the end of the quarter, 14-10.
• Senior Stephanie Lesko (Rumson, N.J.) drained a three from the top of the key just 15 seconds into the second quarter to put the Bulldogs within one, but the two teams would remain scoreless until the 5:10 mark when Brown scored back-to-back three's, 20-13.
• Bjelko responded by scoring six straight to propel a 12-2 run for the Bulldogs. Freshman Alana Perkins (Wauwatosa, Wis.) bookended the run with a pair of threes to give Bryant its first advantage of the game, 25-22.
• The Bears took back the lead to open the second half by netting the next five points, but the Bulldogs went on to its largest scoring run of the day kickstarted by LaFrance Boyce. The 9-0 run gave Bryant a five-point cushion before the first media timeout, 34-29.
• Both teams posted their best shooting performance of the game in the third frame. The Bulldogs were 45.5 percent from the field off five-of-11 shooting, while Brown posted an even 40 percent off six-of-15 shooting.
• Brown started heating up in the fourth quarter growing to an 11-0 run to hold a seven-point advantage with under a minute to play.
• Bryant scored seven of its nine fourth-quarter points in the final minute of the game, but the Bears held onto their lead, 56-50, to end the game.

STATS

• Bjelko was the lone double-figure scorer for the Black and Gold leading the team with 13 points.
• Kandis Taylor (Sunrise, Fla.) and Nicole Gallagher (Foxboro, Mass.) swiped three steals apiece.
• Zegarowski dished out six assists.
• Perkins trailed Bjelko in scoring netting nine points off three-of-shooting from long distance. 
• The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 32.7 percent from the field.
• Brown outrebounded the Bulldogs, 37-33.

GAME NOTES

• Zegarowski and Taylor both tied career-highs. Zegarowski matched her career-high in assists while Taylor tied her career-best in steals.
• Bjelko tied her career-high in points with 13. The last time the junior netted 13 was at Vermont in November.
• Gallagher's three steals marks a career-best. 
• Bryant continued to hold the all-time series advantage over Brown, 8-7.

UP NEXT: ALBANY
The Bulldogs close out their four-game homestand with Albany on Friday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center.