Bryant University Bulldogs Women's Hoops Looks to Make it Three Straight Against #24 Saint Rose Saturday

BRYANT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL vs. #24 Saint Rose

January 5, 2007

Today's Game
The Bryant University Bulldogs take on the 24th ranked Saint Rose Golden Knights today in a Northeast-10 matchup. Last year, Saint Rose defeated Bryant in both matchups, including a 72-69 loss at the Chace Center.

Game Notes
The Bulldogs made it two straight with a dominant 88-51 victory over Merrimack Wednesday night in North Andover, Mass.

Dominating the paint throughout, freshman Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) posted a career high 26 points in 26 minutes, while grabbing nine boards and sinking eight of ten from the line, while senior Lauren Rubenoff (New Hartford, Conn.) added a double-double, on 19 points and ten rebounds.

Bryant started quickly, scoring the game's first 18 points, forcing Merrimack to call time twice in the first seven minutes. The Bulldogs forced 15 first-half Warrior turnovers as a result of a full court press. O'Keefe scored eight of the game's first 18 points, on easy lay-ins off passes from Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass.) and Joanna Skiba (Providence, RI).

The Warriors missed their first 14 shots and did not make a field goal until eight minutes into the game when Casey Miller drained a three.

Skiba added 12 points (two three-pointers), while freshman center Adrianne Mayshar (West Boylston, Mass.) came off the bench to score seven.

Bryant outscored Merrimack in the paint 52-18, and outrebounded them 51-33.The Bulldogs shot 46% from the field and 84% from the line.

Eleven of the Bulldogs' 14 players scored in the victory.

COMING UP...
The Bulldogs have three games next week featuring games against nationally ranked Pace and Stonehill at the Chace Center.
Tues. - Jan. 9 - at Assumption 5:30 p.m.
Thur. - Jan. 11 - Pace, 5:30 p.m.
Sat. - Jan. 13 - Stonehill, 1:30 p.m.

The Golden Knights of Saint Rose
The Golden Knights forced 13 turnovers and held visiting UMass Lowell to 23 points throughout the second half en route to a 65-48 victory. Junior center Lauren Revesz and senior guard Linsey Onishuk had 17 points apiece and combined for 11 rebounds to lead the Golden Knights. Saint Rose turned the ball over only three times during the final 20 minutes and had 10 players figure in the scoring column to run its record to 5-1 at home this year.

CAREER DAY FOR KELSEY
Freshman Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) was outstanding in Bryant's 88-51 win at Merrimack on Jan. 3rd. O'Keefe tallied a career-high 26 points in just 26 minutes, shooting 9-12 from the field and 8-10 from the line, while grabbing nine rebounds. The fourth all-time leading scorer in the Massachusetts HS record books was dominant in the paint all night driving to the hoop each time she got the ball. O'Keefe sparked Bryant's 18-0 run to start the game, scoring eight of those points.

LINEUP SHAKE-UP
Following a dissapointing 65-50 loss at Barry Univ., Head Coach Mary Burke revamped the starting five. Only Erin Murphy (Albany, NY) remained from her traditional lineup. The change worked as Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass.) made her first start, scoring 11 points in 34 minutes while tallying a career-high seven assists. Bryant forced 22 turnovers, using a full-court press against Nova SE. Coming off the bench, Joanna Skiba (Providence, RI) added 18 in 23 minutes, including 11 straight points in the second half.

RUBENOFF A FORCE ON THE ROAD
In Bryant's last three conference road games, senior forward Lauren Rubenoff (New Hartford, CT) has been dominant. Against Merrimack, she posted a double-double (19 points, ten rebounds) in 27 minutes. She scored 22 points, including 14 of Bryant's 19 second-half points, while grabbing five rebounds and shooting 10-for-18 from the field against Stonehill Wednesday. Then, at Bentley on Dec. 5, "Rub" was the only Bulldog in double figures, scoring 18 of her team's 33 second-half points. The senior finished with a career-high 23 points and added six rebounds in a 62-60 loss to the Falcons. She averages a team-leading 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in six road games.

SKIBA REACHES 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Bryant senior guard Joanna Skiba (Providence, RI) became the 16th women's basketball player in school history to record her 1,000th point as the Bulldogs picked up a big win over Assumption, 80-76 on Nov. 30. Skiba scored on a drive to the basket just over a minute into the game, scoring and drawing a foul in the process. Skiba would finish with a game-high 22 points in 40 minutes of action against the Greyhounds. Skiba ranks 11th on the all-time Bryant scoring list with 1,118 career points.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Head Coach Mary Burke is relying on numerous freshmen this season to have a major impact. Four freshmen have already cracked the starting lineup, including Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.), Kristin Mraz (Johnstown, N.Y.), Adrianne Mayshar (West Boylston, Mass.) and Courtney Schermerhorn (Lowell, Mass.). O'Keefe, who has started all but two games this season, avergaes 10.3 points per game and 5.8 boards and scored 26 at Merrimack on January 3rd. Mraz has started eight games, averaging four points. Schermerhorn started Bryant's first four games, while Mayshar, Bryant's tallest player at 6-2, snagged nine boards at Merrimack and posted eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks off the bench in 29 minutes of action at Bentley. She made her first start against Southern N.H playing 20 minutes, scoring five points. Against Bridgeport, Burke called on freshman center Jamie Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) who responded with four points and four boards in 14 minutes.