BRYANT FALLS TO HOST RAMS IN FORDHAM HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP, 70-51, MONDAY AFTERNOON

December 29, 2008

BRYANT FALLS TO HOST RAMS IN FORDHAM HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP, 70-51, MONDAY AFTERNOON

Boxscore

BRONX, N.Y. – Paced by 16 points apiece from sophomore Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) and junior co-captain Kelsey O’Keefe (Warren, Mass.), the Bryant University women’s basketball team fell in the championship game of the Fordham Holiday Tournament, 70-51, to the host Rams Monday afternoon at the Rose Hill Gym.

Fordham (7-6) was the hot team starting out, grabbing a 9-3 advantage out of the gates, Bryant’s only points coming off an O’Keefe three.

But Bryant needed just minutes to climb back in and take its first lead of the contest, 13-11, with 13:31 on the clock after Bennett grabbed the offensive rebound off a missed Jaime Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) free throw and put it back for an easy layup.

The Bulldogs grew their lead to nine after Kristin Mraz (Johnstown, N.Y.) sent a crafty dish out to O’Keefe at the top of the key for her third three-pointer of the contest, 20-11. The points were part of a 14-0 run that gave Bryant a 22-11 advantage, their largest lead of the game.

But the Rams would return the favor, ripping out a 13-1 streak of their own to regain the lead, 24-23, capped off by a pair of back-to-back steals from Fordham’s Tiffany Stokes.

And while Bryant evened the score at 27-27 with 4:37 to play before the break, the Bulldogs would score just one more point in the half, allowing the home team to outscore them 7-1 in the final four minutes to enter halftime down, 34-28.

O’Keefe led all Bulldog scorers in the half, connecting on a trio of treys and added a bucket for 11 first-frame points. The teams evened out on the glass, each collecting 18 rebounds, and both shot 40 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes.

It would turn out that a six-point lead was all Fordham would need, as Bryant struggled to keep it close in the second frame.

The Rams went on a 13-6 run to extend their advantage to 45-34 early in the half before rookie Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) got her first career points on a layup at 13:01. Fordham would then grow its lead to 15 points with 7:40 to go, 55-40.

And the double-digit lead would stick to a final, as the Bulldogs couldn’t rope in the Fordham offense, falling, 70-51.

O’Keefe and Bennett, who were both named to the all-tournament team for their performance over the two contests, each recorded a team-high 16 points in the loss, while Bennett led all Bulldogs on the glass, pulling down seven rebounds. Bryant was outrebounded on the day, 37-35, and was held to just 31 percent shooting in the second half to the Rams’ 44.4 percent.

Fordham’s Becky Peters paced the game with 24 points en route to the contest’s only double-double (24p, 11r).

O’Keefe and Bennett averaged 15.5 and 13.5 points per game, respectively, over the two-day tournament to earn their all-tournament team bid.

The Bulldogs now return home to host two consecutive home games, only their second and third of the season, at the Chace Athletic Center. Bryant stays with Atlantic 10 competition, hosting St. Bonaventure at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2 before welcoming Colgate to Smithfield, R.I. for a rematch of the Fordham Tournament first round on Monday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.