WOMEN LOOK TO SNAP SKID AGAINST MONMOUTH HAWKS
Full Game Notes
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SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Looking to avoid a three-game losing streak for the first time in 2011-12, the Bryant University women's basketball team will take on a pair of opponents from New Jersey this weekend, as the Bulldogs battle Monmouth on Saturday (Jan. 28) before rounding out a season-long four-game homestand on Monday (Jan. 30) against Fairleigh Dickinson.
SERIES HISTORY - MONMOUTH
Bryant and Monmouth have faced off five times since 2008-09, and the Hawks own an all-time series advantage by winning three of those contests. After the Bulldogs swept the season series in 2009-10, Monmouth returned the favor last year by winning both matchups between the two schools, including a 20-point win on Jan. 22, 2011 at the Chace Athletic Center.
LAST TIME OUT: BULLDOGS FALL TO CCSU
The Bulldogs dropped a 75-62 decision against Central Connecticut on Jan. 23, marking the first time this season that the team has fallen in back-to-back games. Trailing by four at the half, Bryant managed to tie the game with 15:33 to play in regulation. From that point on, the Blue Devils outscored the Black and Gold by a 32-19 margin to close out the contest.
Down by four at the break, the Bulldogs pulled even at 43-43 at the 15:33 mark of the second half, but Central responded by reeling off 13 straight points over the ensuing seven minutes to take a 56-43 lead with 7:53 to play in regulation. From that point on, the Blue Devils staved off a feisty Bryant attack by going basket-for-basket with the home team and eventually prevailed down the stretch.
On the home side, three players finished the afternoon within a point of one another with sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa dropping a team-high 17 points, just ahead of juniors Danielle Douglas and Katie Whittington's 16 points apiece. Ankoma-Mensa mustered a game-high 10 boards while registering Bryant's lone rejection of the day.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Winners of eight straight games, the Hawks sit in a tie for second place in the Northeast Conference and trail league-leading Sacred Heart by a game.
Preseason All-NEC selection Alysha Womack leads Monmouth in scoring (12.8 ppg) despite appearing in just eight games, while Abby Martin has posted a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring (11.7 ppg). The latter has averaged 13.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game over her last 11 games played, and she has shot 50.9 percent (56-110) during the span.
Womack missed the first 11 games of the season due to a knee injury. But in her first game back, she dropped 22 points at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Jan. 16 and followed that up with a career-high 27 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 2-for-3 from long range and 11-for-13 from the free-throw line against Robert Morris on Jan. 21.
The Hawks have held opponents to just 52.0 points per game in their recent eight-game winning streak. In a stretch of five wins against Villanova, Wagner, Mount St. Mary's and LIU Brooklyn, opponents averaged 48.6 points per game while shooting just 33.1 percent (88-266) from the floor.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE HAWKS
Jan. 5, 2011 - at Monmouth
Sophomore Meredith Soper scored nine points and pulled down 10 rebounds while senior Siamone Bennett and sophomore Danielle Douglas added double-figure scoring efforts but the Bryant University women's basketball team could not take down Monmouth as the Bulldogs fell, 57-39.
Douglas also recorded eight rebounds to go along with her game-high 12 points as the pair of sophomores just missed double-double performances in Bryant's second Northeast Conference game of the season. Bennett had a strong eight points in the first half and finished with 11 overall and also registered a pair of blocks. Freshman Naana Ankoma-Mensa added six rebounds.
Monmouth was led by Erin Rooney's 11 points while Alysha Womack and Alexis Canady added 10 points each. The Bulldogs were impressive on the glass throughout the night as they outrebounded the Hawks by a margin of 38-32 while the home squad shot at 35 percent from the floor compared to Bryant's 30 percent effort.
Jan. 22, 2011 - at Bryant
Sophomore Danielle Douglas scored a team-high 12 points but the Bryant University women's basketball team could not erase an early Monmouth advantage as the Bulldogs fell, 62-42, Saturday afternoon in Northeast Conference action.
Monmouth was led offensively by Gabby Singer's 14 points and Alysha Womack's 12 tallies as an early 15-0 run in the opening half was enough to give the visitors the eventual victory. With the loss, Bryant dipped to 5-13 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
Senior Siamone Bennett chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds for the home side. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 29 percent from the floor while the Hawks shot 38 percent from the field including eight 3-pointers.
LET'S STAY AWHILE
After playing just one game within the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center in the month of December and after playing eight of its first 12 games this season on the road, Bryant is in the midst of a season-long four-game home stretch that began last weekend. The Bulldogs will be home through the end of the month, as the team wraps up this latest stretch on Monday against FDU.
The Bulldogs have posted a 6-3 record at the Chace this year, and are 27-18 (.600) in Smithfield since the start of the 2008-09 season. Last year, Bryant went 7-6 with a 5-4 mark against NEC teams within the friendly confines of The Chace.
DOUGLAS IS DANDY
Leading the squad with 32 points in both of Bryant's contests last weekend, Danielle Douglas continues to dazzle in the month of January. The Silver Springs, Md., native added a team-high six steals, 10 rebounds (second-most) and shot 12-of-34 from the field (.353) while averaging 32 minutes against both Quinnipiac and CCSU last week.
The month of January has been special for the junior guard. In seven games, Douglas has averaged 33.4 minutes (2nd), shot 36.8 percent from the field (35-95), dished 18 assists, garnered 14 steals and totaled 97 points for a scoring average of 13.9 ppg, trailing sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa by three points. That stretch includes a career-high 26 points at Wagner on Jan. 16.
A BOBCAT BEATDOWN
The Bulldogs' 37-point defeat against Quinnipiac last weekend now stands as the worst defeat for the Bulldogs this season, topping the previous record for margin of defeat set by Boston College (68-42) back in late November.
The 87 points allowed by Bryant against Quinnipiac represents the most scored by an opponent this season, while QU's 37-point lead at game's end stands as the greatest in-game deficit for the Bulldogs in a game this season.
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 full- season broadcasting packages, where you can watch 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 score updates.
