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SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Looking to rebound after a 26-point defeat against Boston College in its last outing, the Bryant University women's basketball team will look to make it 2-0 against Ocean State opponents when it welcomes the University of Rhode Island at the Chace Athletic Center.  

SERIES HISTORY

URI has won the only game ever played between both teams, with that win coming back in the 2008-09 season.  The Rams came away with a 64-57 victory at home, pushing Bryant's record to 2-3 in its first season competing at the Division I level.

LAST TIME OUT

Bryant traveled to ACC foe Boston College for its first game following Thanksgiving, and it was a rough outing for the Bulldogs, dropping a 16-point decision to the Eagles at Conte Forum.

Two players eclipsed 10 points, with sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa pacing the team with 13 points.  The Brampton, Ont., native missed a double-double by a single rebound for the second straight game - she had a 13-point, nine-rebound performance in the Bulldogs' victory over Brown on Nov. 22, as well.

The Eagles were boosted by 12 three-pointers, shooting 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) from long range, including 5-of-11 in the first half, alone.  BC also was nearly impeccable at the free-throw line, nailing 16-of-19 chances from the charity stripe.

SCOUTING THE RAMS

Off to a 1-5 start on the season, Rhode Island has fallen in three straight games after its lone win of the season on Nov. 16 - a 52-43 victory over rival Providence College.  URI is 0-4 on the road to start the season.

Two players average in double-digit scoring for the Rams, with juniors Ashley Rivera and Ajanae Boone registering 10.5 and 10.3 ppg, respectively, through six contests.  Sophomore Emilie Cloutier, a member of the 2008 Canadian National Junior Team, ranks third with 9.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg.  Senior Sherrie Session's 5.7 rpg is tops on the squad, and she was one of just three players to start all 28 games last season for the Rams.

URI suffered a serious blow to their season aspirations before the first time they took the court, as top returner Lara Gaspar, who entered her senior year as the Rams' top returner, suffered a season-ending injury during preseason workouts.  She started every game last year, averaging 30.6 minutes, 11.1 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game.

The Rams were picked to finish 13th in the Atlantic-10 Conference before the season.  URI went 7-21 overall with a 1-13 mark in the conference last year.

OCEAN STATE ELITE

By virtue of its 3-2 overall record and with one of those three victories coming against in-state rival Brown, the Bulldogs boast the best Division I women's basketball record in the state of Rhode Island in the early goings of the season.  Brown and Providence College - who the Bulldogs have never faced - are even at 3-3 on the season, while Bryant's next opponent, URI, stands at 1-5 on the season.

OH-SO-CLOSE, NAANA

With 13 points and nine rebounds posted in back-to-back games, sophomore forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa has been within reach of the Bulldogs' first double-double performance of the young season, but the Ontario native has missed that mark by a single board in both of those games.

Ankoma-Mensa was expected to fill in nicely at forward with an increased workload this season, and the sophomore has not disappointed, leading the team with 11.8 ppg and ranking second with 7.8 rpg, all while averaging a team-high 33.4 minutes and earning a start in every game the Bulldogs have played so far.

SHARING IS FUN

The Bulldogs have been one of the most pass-happy teams in the conference in the early goings, as the team has totaled 72 assists over five games.  Averaging 14.4 helpers per contest, the team now ranks third in the Northeast Conference in total assists.

JUST HOLD ON!

Since totaling a season-high 28 turnovers in a loss to Iona on Nov. 15, the Bulldogs have limited their giveaways in each of the three games since and have not eclipsed the 20-turnover mark at all in that span, during which they have strung together a 2-1 record.

Against Maine on Nov. 19, Bryant turned the ball over 19 times - down nine turnovers from the Iona game.  Then against Brown, the Bulldogs committed a season-low 14 giveaways.

PASS THE STUFFING

One bright spot in Bryant's defeat at Boston College was the fact that the squad ammassed a season-high five blocks against the Eagles, with senior Brittany Stahura earning two by herself.

The Bulldogs' 14 team blocks (2.8/g) is seventh most in the NEC.

OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

While just five games into the season, Bryant's 3-2 record stands as the best start to the year since the team began playing a full Division I schedule in the 2008-09 season.

That year, Bryant started the year 2-2, but lost six of its next eight games.  A year later and after the Bulldogs went 4-4 to start the season, they dropped six straight heading into conference play.  Last year, Bryant lost five straight before picking up its first win on Dec. 3, 2010, and headed into January with a 3-8 overall record.

BULLDOG LEADERS (min. 10 shot attempts)

Scoring - Naana Ankoma-Mensa (11.8 ppg); Katie Whittington (11.0 ppg)
Rebounding - Meredith Soper (8.0 rpg); Ankoma-Mensa (7.8 rpg)
Assists - Whittington (3.2 apg); Stahura (3.0 apg); Danielle Douglas/Soper (1.8)
Steals - Brittany Stahura (2.8/game); Ankoma-Mensa/Soper (2.2); 
Blocks - Stahura (1.0 blocks/game); Ankoma-Mensa (0.8)
FG% - Courtney Schissler (17-38 = 44.7%); Stahura (8-19 = 42.1%);
3-Pt% - Steph Cardamone (6-12 = 50.0%); Schissler (9-21 = 42.9%)
FT% - Whittington (11-13 = 84.6%); Danielle Douglas (13-16 = 81.3%)

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?

Bryant University Athletics offers more ways than ever before to watch, listen or follow your Bulldogs during all the action even when you can't make it to the court!  Head to www.bryantbulldogs.tv for information about single-game and season broadcasting packages, where you can watch state-of-the-art webcasts of the Bulldogs for most home games.  Live stats can be found at www.bryantbulldogs.com for every contest, and you can follow @BryantGameday on Twitter for live, in-game scoring updates throughout the season.

UP NEXT

Bryant kicks off Northeast Conference action on Saturday, Dec. 3, traveling to Hamden, Conn., for a duel against Connecticut rival Quinnipiac at 12 p.m.