Posted: Feb 07, 2020

Bryant hosts CCSU on Saturday on ESPN+

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team hosts Central Connecticut on Saturday, Feb. 8 for a Bryant Basketball doubleheader. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center and can be viewed on ESPN+.

A Space Jam theme will be seen throughout the day as the first 100 fans who arrive at the women's game will receive a free Space Jam themed Bryant Basketball tumbler.

THE MATCHUP
Bryant returns to Smithfield after spending the last two games in Western Pa. when they host Central Connecticut on Saturday, Feb. 8 on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. The two teams have met 22 times all-time as Saturday marks the first time they will meet in the 2019-20 season. The Bulldogs split with the Blue Devils last season thanks to a buzzer-beater in New Britain to help CCSU push past Bryant, 66-65.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
The Blue Devils endured a 10-game losing streak to start the season before grabbing their first win over Hartford. Central Connecticut would go on to win just one more game against Wagner for its lone NEC win so far this year as they post a 2-20 overall record and a 1-10 slate in the NEC.

Junior Ashley Berube is the conference leader in blocked shots averaging 1.73 a game. CCSU also runs its offense through Berube as she leads the team averaging 13 points a night. Junior Emma McCamus is also an offensive threat for the Blue Devils as she posts 10.9 a game and has the ability to go off for 30 points as she showcased earlier this season against Brown.

LAST TIME OUT: ROBERT MORRIS
The Bulldogs fell, 69-39, on Monday night as Robert Morris moved to 10-0 in conference play. Bryant pushed within two in the second quarter but as 12-2 run to end the half followed by a 10-1 run to open the third quarter ruined Bryant's chances. Senior Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W.Va.) was the lone Bulldog to tally double-figure scoring. Ten of Holloway's 17 points came from the foul line as she went 10-for-12 from the stripe.

MS. 1,000
Holloway became Bryant's leading scorer in its Division I era surpassing Breanna Rucker '16. Rucker's previously held record was set at 1,395 points, but Holloway's seven-point performance against UMass Lowell put her over the edge at 1,401 career points on Dec. 2. Holloway is currently 1 rebound away from 1,000 where she is en route to becoming the third player in Bryant's D1 history to achieve 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

COOKIES
Trinity Bravo (Bridgeport, Conn.) is the team leader in steals with 35 on the year and 24 against conference foes. The sophomore has posted four games where she swiped 4+ steals in a single-game including a career-high of 5 against LIU. Bravo tallied a four-steal performance against Wagner in Smithfield. Bravo is currently ranked sixth in the NEC averaging 1.75 steals a game.

I WANT KANDY
Junior guard Kandis Taylor (Sunrise, Fla.) has seen the court more this season than in previous years averaging 19.4 minutes a game compared to the 10.2 that she averaged just one year ago. Taylor posted her career-high of nine points in three consecutive games and then followed it up with two back-to-back eight-point performances. Through the last five games, the junior averaged 8.6 points per game.

MOST IMPROVED
Bravo and Taylor have emerged to be key players for the Black and Gold this season. Despite seeing minutes in 29 games last season, Bravo averaged under 10 minutes a game posting just 1.2 points per game. This season, Bravo has more than doubled her stats in almost every category and has made starts in 12 games so far on the year. Taylor has also shown massive improvement since her first two years as she has taken on a bigger role on the squad. The junior point guard now averages five points per game compared to the 1.6 that she averaged a year ago and has most notably stole tallied 24 steals this season compared to the two in 2018-19.