Bryant University Bulldogs Women's Hoops Looks to Snap Two-Game Losing Streak at Southern N.H. Wednesday (5:30 p.m.)

BRYANT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL at Southern N.H.

January 17, 2007

Today's Game
The Bryant University Bulldogs take on the Penmen from Southern N.H. today. The Penmen upset Bryant 76-70 earlier this year in Smithfield, RI.

Game Notes
The Bryant Women's Basketball team dropped its second-straight home-game Saturday, to 13th-ranked Stonehill 72-66.

Freshman Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) led the way for the Bulldogs scoring 25 points, one short of her career high, while grabbing eight boards.

The Bulldogs started fast, taking a 15-9 lead, forcing the Skyhawks to call for time just 5:12 into the game.

After crushing the Bulldogs in their last meeting with eight three-pointers, Megan Methven nailed five this time, on nine attempts and finished with 20 points off the bench.

Bryant trailed by five at the half, 32-27, but came out flying in the second frame, scoring six straight points, and taking the slim 33-32 lead as Lauren Rubenoff (New Hartford, CT) took a Joanna Skiba (Providence, RI) pass and converted the easy lay-in.

Rubenoff posted a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds, including seven offensive.

The Skyhawks took control from there, countering with a 21-7 run over the next eight minutes.

Bryant used a full-court press to try to creep back into it as O'Keefe and Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass.) converted two shots, forty seconds apart to cut the lead to eight.

Kokoski was the third Bulldog in double figures, as she scored ten points and tied a career-high with eight boards. Skiba did not score in the second half. She was 0-for-8 in the second half, and 0-for-4 from the behind the arc in the final 20 minutes.

Earlier this season, the Penmen edged Bryant 76-70 in Smithfield, RI. Skiba led the Bulldogs 23 points in 35 minutes, while O'Keefe posted a double-double (11 points, 15 boards). Kokoski added 13 points and six assists off the bench in 31 minutes.

Stephanie Houghton led the Penmen with 17 points while Julia Houghtaling added 16 and ten rebounds.

COMING UP...
The Bulldogs return home for a two-game homestand at the Chace Center against Le Moyne and UMass Lowell.
Sat. - Jan. 20 - Le Moyne, 1:30 p.m.
Sat. - Jan. 27 - UMass Lowell, 1:30 p.m.

RUBENOFF A FORCE ON THE ROAD
In Bryant's last four conference road games, senior forward Lauren Rubenoff (New Hartford, CT) has been a force. At Assumption Tuesday, she posted a double-double, tallying 18 points and ten boards, including ten of her team's first 18 points. Then against Merrimack on Jan. 3, she posted another double-double (19 points, ten rebounds). 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. At Bentley on Dec. 5, "Ru" was the only Bulldog in double figures, scoring a career-high 23 points in a 62-60 loss to the Falcons. She averages a team-leading 16.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in seven road games.

BRYANT 4-2 WITH LYNNE-ANN MANNING THE POINT
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 leading the Bulldogs to a 65-50 victory over Nova SE. The Bulldogs returned to their normal lineup the following week, but Kokoski remained in the starting five, manning the point. The Bulldogs are 4-2 when the junior starts. In 34 minutes against Saint Rose, she tallied eight points while matching her career high with seven assists. Against #13 Stonehill, she tallied ten points and matched her career high witheight boards.

O'KEEFE NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) capped off a great week by being selected as the NE-10 Co-Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week from Jan. 1-7. O'Keefe averaged 24.5 points last week in victories at Merrimack and Saint Rose. She 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 at Merrimack. Against Saint Rose, she scored 23 points in just 20 minutes, while adding 12 boards for her second career double-double. She continued her success tallying 25 points and eight rebounds against #13 Stonehill on Jan. 13. She is third on the Bulldogs, averaging 11.8 points while grabbing six boards on average, second on the team.

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 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 1,159 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 11.8 points per game and six boards. She was named NE-10 Freshman of the Week from Jan. 1-7. 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. Against #24 Saint Rose, Burke called on freshman center Jamie Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) who responded with career highs in points (eight) and rebounds (ten) in 15 minutes.