Bryant University Bulldogs BULLDOGS TAKE ON ST. FRANCIS (NY) IN 2008-09 HOME OPENER MONDAY AT 7 P.M.

BRYANT LOOKS TO GET BACK TO WINNING SIDE IN MONDAY'S 7 P.M. HOME OPENER AGAINST ST. FRANCIS (NY)

Game Notes / Live Stats / Live Video / live audio

UPDATE
The Bulldogs are 2-4 after falling in both games of the Rhody Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 28 and 29, first to host URI, 64-57, and then to Cornell University, 66-55.

On the year, Bryant is led by 13.3 points per game from junior Kelsey O'Keefe, who is averaging a shade under 31 minutes per outing. The co-captain also paces the Bulldogs on the glass, collecting 7.7 per contest while shooting 37.9 (11-for-29) percent from 3-point range. Sophomore Siamone Bennett's seven blocks is a team best, as are the seven steals from Jaime Campbell. O'Keefe's 16 assists are also a team high.

THE GAME
Tonight's 7 p.m. Bryant home opener is the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Terriers, who will meet again on Feb. 23 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bryant is 1-1 against Northeast Conference opponents this season with a win over CCSU on Nov. 25.

SCOUTING ST. FRANCIS (NY)
The Terriers are still on the hunt for their first win of 2008-09, and enter the Chace Athletic Center on a five-game losing skid, including a loss to Bryant's most recent opponent, Cornell University, 59-48.

St. Francis's Kara Ayers paces the visitors with 17.8 points per game, while Kristin Leitheuser and Kendra Williams also average double-digit scoring with 10.6 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Ayers also leads the team in steals with 15 and chips in 4.8 rebounds per game. But it is Williams who rules the glass for the Terriers, collecting 8.2 boards per outing, also adding a team-best 43.1 percent shooting from the floor (22-of-51).

LAST TIME OUT
Led by 11 points from co-captains Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) and Cara Johnson (Endicott, N.Y), the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Cornell University, 66-55, in the second day of the Rhody Classic Saturday afternoon at URI's Ryan Center.

BRYANT vs. CORNELL (11/29/08)
After Friday's loss at the hands of tournament host University of Rhode Island, the Bulldog starting lineup got a facelift for Saturday's contest against the Big Red. Three Bulldogs - sophomore Amanda Pierlioni (Plainville, Conn.) and freshmen Lekia Cowen (Hopedale, Mass.) and Shannon Wood (Gorham, Maine) - earned their first career start, while junior Jaime Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) got her second career start and first of the 2008-09 season to join O'Keefe on the court for the opening tip.

The teams kept it close in the first with Bryant (2-4) leading most of the way until Cornell (3-3) took its first edge of the contest with 5:16 to play in the frame on two made free throws by Susie Doyle.

The free throws would kickstart a 9-2 scoring run that opened up a six-point Big Red advantage that would take Cornell into halftime up, 29-23.

Bryant outrebounded Cornell in the first frame, 21-19, but committed 12 turnovers to the Big Red's nine. O'Keefe's five points paced Bryant's 31 percent shooting at the half, with Campbell leading the way on the boards with four.

Cornell extended its lead to 12 points, 42-30, before the Bulldogs cut it to 43-34 in the second frame. The lead would stay at nine points as Bryant went 5:31 between baskets and Cornell took a 46-37 lead with 8:28 to play in the game.

A layup from sophomore Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) with 3:49 showing cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 55-48, and junior Courtney Schermerhorn (Lowell, Mass.) completed the three-point play to cut Cornell's lead to four, 55-51.

But down by seven with two minutes left to play, Bryant had no choice but to foul, sending Lauren Benson to the line for the final eight points of the contest as the Bulldogs fell, 66-55.

O'Keefe and Johnson each scored a team-high 11 points, while O'Keefe also collected a team-best seven boards. Cornell was paced by Benson's 19 points and Doyle's 12 rebounds. Bryant was outrebounded on the day, 39-35, while Cornell won a 39.9 to 33.9 shooting percentage advantage from the floor.

BURKE NEARS 250TH CAREER VICTORY
In her 18th season as head coach of the Bryant University women's basketball program, Mary Burke needs just two more wins to get her 250th career victory. Burke has enjoyed two 20-win seasons over her coaching days and entered 2008-09 with a 246-234 career record. The Bulldogs' two wins so far this season has Burke just two away from the 250th win.

STARTING LINEUP GETS A FACELIFT
After Friday's loss at the hands of tournament host University of Rhode Island, the Bulldog starting lineup got a facelift for Saturday's contest against the Big Red. Three Bulldogs - sophomore Amanda Pierlioni (Plainville, Conn.) and freshmen Lekia Cowen (Hopedale, Mass.) and Shannon Wood (Gorham, Maine) - earned their first career start, while junior Jaime Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) got her second career start and first of the 2008-09 season to join O'Keefe on the court for the opening tip.

BRYANT JOINS THE DIVISION I NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
In October of 2007, Bryant University officially accepted an invitation to join the Division I Northeast Conference. The school began a four-year transition in the fall of 2008-09 and become a full member of the Northeast Conference in the fall of 2012-13. Bryant will not be eligible for conference or NCAA postseason play during the four-year transition period. Other members of the Northeast Conference include: Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, Lond Island University, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (NY), St. Francis (PA) and Wagner.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Chace Athletic Center has been kind to the Bulldog women in the past, but it will have less chances to be lucky this season in Division I. The women host just eight home contests, the first coming tonight against Saint Francis (NY) at 7:00 p.m. The Bulldogs won't return home again until January 2009 when they host back-to-back home contests to open the new year, first welcoming St. Bonaventure on Friday, January 2 at 1 p.m. before playing host to Colgate on Monday, January 5 at 7 p.m.

CROSSING ENEMY LINES
Including members from Bryant's future home in the Northeast Conference, the Bulldogs will compete against six different Division I conferences in 2008-09. Here is how they've fared so far.
Bryant vs. Division I conferences:
  America East: 1-1
  Atlantic 10: 0-1
  Independent: 0-0
  Ivy League: 0-1
  MEAC: 0-0
  Northeast Conference: 1-1
  Patriot League: 0-0

NO TIME TO WAIT
On November 14, the 2008-09 women's basketball team joined the women's soccer team and women's volleyball team as the only Bulldog programs to get their-ever first Division I win in their first DI contest with a 69-66 win over UNH. Kelsey O'Keefe scored a season-high 17 points in the contest on four three-pointers and 6-for-15 total shooting from the floor while Siamone Bennett and Kristin Mraz also scored in the double digits with 15 and 13 points, respectively. O'Keefe and senior Cara Johnson paced the team on the boards, each collecting seven.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs hit the road again, this time travelling to eastern Pennsylvania to faceoff against a pair of Patriot League opponents in Lehigh University (Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m.) and Lafayette College (Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1:00 p.m.). These will be the last games for the Bulldogs before a three-week break from the hardwood. Bryant returns to basketball on Dec. 28 and 29 when they compete in the Fordham University tournament in Bronx, N.Y.

MAPPING IT OUT
Despite its home in Smithfield, R.I., Bryant boasts no homegrown talent on its 2007-08 roster. Instead, the Bulldogs hail from five different states, with six players coming to Douglas Pike from Massachusetts and eight from the tri-state area. The Bay Staters make up much of the junior class (Schermerhorn, O'Keefe, Campbell, Mayshar) and add senior Fontaine and frosh Cowen, while five (Bennett, Mraz, Johnson, Dessingue, Stahura) call New York home. The remainder of the Bryant roster come from Connecticut (Pierlioni, Reynolds), New Jersey (Hudspeth) and Maine (Wood).

BULLDOGS ON THE AIR
Fans can catch all of the action this year by logging onto www.bryantbulldogs.com to watch all Bryant home games live online, courtesy of Penn Atlantic. Also this year, track each game live online for free with LIVE STATS by visiting www.bryantbulldogs.com and clicking the Live Stats link.