WOMEN ADVANCE TO CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL WITH 64-58 WIN OVER THIRD-SEEDED ASSUMPTION TUESDAY NIGHT
March 4, 2008
WOMEN ADVANCE TO CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL WITH 64-58 WIN OVER THIRD-SEEDED ASSUMPTION TUESDAY NIGHT
WORCESTER, Mass. -- The sixth-seeded Bryant University women's basketball team, backed by the eighth double-double of the year from sophomore Kelsey O'Keefe, came through in the roll of the underdog Tuesday night, posting a 64-58 victory over third-seeded Assumption College on the road to advance to Friday's Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Semifinal against Franklin Pierce.
The Bulldogs entered Tuesday's game with something to prove, having been swept by the Greyhounds in their two-game regular-season series, and with O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) tripled-teamed from the opening tip, the Bulldogs (19-10) had to look for other scoring options on the floor. Or so it seemed.
Neither team started the contest with much accuracy, with the score settling in at 10-6 in favor of the Greyhounds (21-9) five-and-a-half minutes in. Two successful free throws from O'Keefe - her first points of the game - tied the score at 10-10 with 13:33 left in the frame and Bryant would take the lead off a Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, NY) layup with 10 minutes to play, 14-12.
A big block of a Sara Czarnecki shot kept Bryant with a slight 16-15 edge at the seven-minute mark, and the game stayed within a basket for the next few minutes of action.
But the Bulldogs would slowly build their lead to a half-high five points with 2:28 showing on the clock, when Kristin Mraz (Johnstown, NY) drove hard down the lane for a layup, 26-21, forcing Assumption to burn their first timeout of the half.
The five-point edge would stick till intermission, thanks to a key block at the top of the arch from Mraz with four seconds left, to keep the score at 30-25 entering the break, despite the Greyhounds having the final possession of the frame.
But Assumption made up the slim deficit quickly to open the second half, drawing to within one before the teams started trading baskets. A Mraz trey broke the trend with 13 minutes to go, putting the Bulldogs up, 43-37.
With nine minutes left, Kokoski sent a sly bounce pass through the key to hit Mraz, who was running in under the basket for the easy layup off the feed for a 50-43 edge. It was another two minutes for the next basket on either side, a long jumper from O'Keefe, 52-43.
As the clock clicked down near the two-minute mark, Assumption's Molly Griffiths hit a three-point shot to narrow the home team's deficit to 57-53. But it wouldn't be enough, as the Greyhounds committed seven fouls in the final 1:20 - to which the Bulldogs hit 7-of-9 freebies - and Bryant advanced to the Northeast-10 Tournament Semifinals for the first time in the last four tries.
O'Keefe notched her eighth double-double in the win, with game highs in both points (15) and rebounds (10). Cara Johnson (Endicott, NY) (13 points, 5 rebounds) and O'Keefe were both perfect from the line, going 5-for-5 and 4-for-4, respectively, while Kokoski added a team-high 10 assists.
And if Bryant's 26-18 rebounding advantage in the first half was key to their success, its play on the glass in the closing frame proved to be a winning factor in the contest. Bryant outrebounded Assumption, 43-35, on the night, dominating the offensive glass, 14-6.
Griffiths's 14 points - including going 4-for-5 from downtown - led the Greyhounds, while Kayla Parker paced Assumption on the boards with eight. The home team outshot Bryant, 42.9 percent to 38.5 percent on the game.
The win advances the Bulldogs to the Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals, Friday, March 7, where they will faceoff against Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H.. This will be the first league semifinal for any current Bulldog. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
