February 19, 2008

BRYANT FALLS TO STONEHILL 87-75 DESPITE CAREER-HIGH FROM KOKOSKI

BOX SCORE

EASTON, MA - Despite a career-high 25 points from senior guard Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, MA), the Bryant women's basketball team dropped an 87-75 Northeast-10 Conference game at Stonehill College Tuesday night.  The loss drops Bryant's record 16-10 on the season (11-10 NE-10) as Stonehill, which got a game-high 27 points from 6-3 junior Kelsey Simonds, avenged an earlier season loss to the Bulldogs back in December.

Kokoski played an exceptional game for Bryant against the first-place Skyhawks, going 7 for 12 from the floor and making 11 of 16 free throws while dishing out six assists.  She had 13 points in the first half.   

A total of 51 fouls were called in the game as Stonehill made good on 38 of 45 free throws in the game.  Bryant went 15 for 26 from the free throw line in the game but managed to out-rebound the hosts, 44 to 35.

Things looked good early as the Bulldogs had the momentum from the start, taking advantage of sloppy passing and poor shooting early by the Skyhawks to build an early 21-12 lead. But the first-place Skyhawks managed to cut into the lead with solid rebounding and more importantly getting to the foul line.  A 12-2 run over a span of five minutes capped by a three-pointer from Kristen McWhirter with 7:26 left gave Stonehill its first lead of the game, 24-23.

Stonehill (21-4, 17-3 NE-10) made 16 of 18 free throws in the first half to take a 36-33 lead into the locker room at the break.

In the second, the Bulldogs trailed 41-39 but benefited when Simonds picked up her third four and had to go to the bench just 1:54 into the second half. A three from Courtney Schermerhorn from the baseline and following a trifecta from Cara Johnson, Schermerhorn drilled another three from the top of the key and the Bulldogs led 55-50. 

Simonds would re-enter the game and the strategy worked.  Stonehill would erase the five-point deficit, tying the game at 55-55 on a Simonds' turnaround jumper while minutes later McWhirter canned the second of her three second half 3-pointers to cap a 16-5 run and the Skyhawks led 66-58.

Simonds finished the night 5 of 10 shooting and 17 of 19 from the free throw line while adding three assists and five blocks. 

Schermerhorn had 16 points while Siamone Bennette (Newburgh, NY) had 10 points.  McWhirter finished with 17 points on 4 of 7 shooting from three-point range.

Bryant will wrap up the regular season next Tuesday when the Bulldogs travel to Merrimack College for a 5:30 p.m. Northeast-10 Conference game..