Monday, February 23, 2009
BULLDOGS' BARK AS BAD AS ITS BITE,
NIP TERRIERS, 62-55, FOR FIFTH-CONSECUTIVE WIN MONDAY NIGHT
Boxscore
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. - The Bryant University women's
basketball team saw three players score in double figures, led by a
game-high 19 points from junior Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren,
Mass.), as the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to
five games with a 62-55 topping of St. Francis (NY) Monday night at
the Pope Center.
Freshman Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) and
senior Cara Johnson (Endicott, N.Y.) joined
O'Keefe in putting up double-digits, each chipping in 10 on the
day, as Stahura recorded new career-highs in points (10), rebounds
(team-high eight) and assists (3). The Bulldogs shot 36.1 percent
on the day to the home side's 33.9 percent.
The Bulldogs (11-16) got out to an early 13-0 advantage,
highlighted by threes from Kristin Mraz (Johnstown,
N.Y.), Johnson and O'Keefe, holding the home team
scoreless for the first 8:25 of the opening frame.
But when the Terriers (4-23) got to scoring, they made up ground
quickly, outscoring the Bulldogs on a 10-2 run to bring their
deficit to 15-10 with 7:43 showing on the clock.
Stahura responded with 10-straight points, providing strong play
inside to go on an 8-1 kick and bring the score up to 23-11 in the
Bulldogs' favor as the clock ticked under the 3:30 mark. Bryant
held St. Francis to just five points in the final five minutes to
enter halftime up, 26-16.
The Bulldogs, led by a career-high 10 points from Stahura on
5-of-6 shooting at the break, outshot the Terriers, 32.3 percent to
24 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second frame, Bryant's double-digit lead held, as the
teams went back-and-forth through the first eight minutes of the
half.
But Bryant scored seven unanswered points to run the score to
43-26 with 10:56 yet to play, forcing St. Francis coach Brenda
Milano to call a timeout.
But the Bulldogs, who would eventually win, 62-55, would not do
so without drama.
With 7:30 left in regulation, Mraz and Johnson hit back-to-back
treys in response to three points from Terrier Melissa Weithman to
make the score read 49-33, but the Bulldogs then allowed the home
team to narrow the gap to 10 points, 53-43, with under four minutes
to play off another trey from Vianca Tejada.
St. Francis's Kristin Leitheuser knocked Bryant's lead to nine
from downtown off a set play out of a break, 55-46, with 3:05
remaining, and two-straight fouls on the Bulldogs gave the Terriers
hope, cutting the lead to 55-49.
St. Francis made it to 55-51 with 49 seconds to play, and would
get the deficit to as little as three points, but 6-of-8 shooting
from the line from O'Keefe down the stretch iced the game for the
Bulldogs, who took home their fifth-consecutive win, 62-55.
The Bulldogs hit 3-of-6 from downtown in the second half after
hitting just 30 percent from long distance in the first frame for
six three-pointers on the day. Mraz went a perfect 3-for-3 from
beyond the arc. St. Francis was paced by 15 points and 10 rebounds
from Kendra Williams.
Bryant moves to 6-5 against Northeast Conference opponents and
11-16 overall with the victory.
The Bulldogs round out their 2008-09 slate with a pair of road
games, first traveling to Fairfield, Conn. for a 2 p.m. matchup
with Sacred Heart before playing their season finale in Emmitsburg,
Md. with a 7 p.m. bout against Mount St. Mary's.
