January 7, 2009

BULLDOGS STUMBLE AGAINST HOLY CROSS, FALL, 73-54 WEDNESDAY NIGHT ON ROAD

Boxscore

WORCESTER, Mass. -- A career-high 21 points from junior Kristin Mraz (Johnstown, N.Y.) wouldn't be enough the keep the Bryant University women's basketball team on the side of winning as the Bulldogs fell, 73-54, to Holy Cross Wednesday night at the Hart Center.

It was Mraz who kept the Bulldogs (5-9) in the game in the early goings, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 14 of the team's first 18 points, tying her career high just 8:18 into the contest.

Her fourth trey, the last of the frame for the guard, at 11:42 made the score 23-18 in favor of the Crusaders (5-10), who got their first 13 points of the outing from the combination of Jessica Pearson and Kathy Gruzynski. But it would be Bethany O'Dell who would follow with the next 10-straight Holy Cross points, as the home side would grow its lead up to as many as 10 points, 36-26, with 2:40 showing on the clock.

But in the waning minutes of the frame the Bulldogs closed the gap, narrowing their deficit to 36-29 off a Lindsey Hudspeth (Mount Laurel, N.J.) long ball and got within four with 1:21 to play off a Jaime Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) midrange jumper from just outside the paint, 36-32.

But two Holy Cross buckets, including a buzzerbeater from Pearson, upped the home team's lead back to eight, 40-32, entering the break.

At the half, Mraz led all scorers with 16 points -- half of Bryant's first session tally -- and was an impressive 6-for-7 from the floor. Campbell had a team-best four rebounds while chipping in another eight pionts.

But after the break, Holy Cross took another double-digit advantage, opening the half on a 16-4 run to up the score to 56-36 with 14:24 on the clock and put a damper on any hope of a Bulldog second-half comeback.

Bryant would score just nine points through the first 13:32 of the frame, getting outscored in the second half, 33-22. Mraz would score five second-half points, including one more 3-pointer, to finish the contest with a game-high and career-high 21 points. The guard went 7-for-11 from the floor, including going 5-for-7 from 3-point range, and 2-for-2 from the line on the outing. Campbell would be the only other Bulldog to score double digits (10 points).

Bulldog freshmen Lekia Cowen (Hopedale, Mass.) and Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) saw significant playing time in the contest, as did senior Steph Fontaine (Franklin, Mass.), particularly in the second session.

O'Dell led the Crusaders with 15 points and nine boards.

The Bulldogs outrebounded Holy Cross, 42-38 on the day, but were outshot, making just 34.4 percent from the floor while allowing the Crusaders to convert on 46.9 percent of opportunities.

The Bulldogs stay on the road for the next two games before returning home, but they won't have to go far. Bryant takes on nearby Brown University on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. as part of a doubleheader. The Bryant men will face off against the Bears following the women's game at 4 p.m.