February 20, 2009

BULLDOGS LOOK TO KEEP STREAK ALIVE AS THEY TAKE ON FDU ON 2009 SENIOR DAY SATURDAY AT 1 P.M.

February 20, 2009

BULLDOGS LOOK TO KEEP STREAK ALIVE AS THEY TAKE ON FDU ON 2009 SENIOR DAY AT THE CHACE ATHLETIC CENTER; TIPOFF IS A 1 P.M.

THE MATCHUP - BRYANT vs. FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
Date: February 21, 2009
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Smithfield, R.I.
Arena: Chace Athletic Center
Series: FDU leads, 1-0

BRYANT BULLDOGS UPDATE
The Bulldogs started their first winning streak of the season Wednesday night with their third-consecutive victory, this one coming after some last-second heroics for a 48-47 topping of NJIT on the road. Bryant led at the half but trailed through the final minute of the contest, needed Kelsey O'Keefe's layup with 12.3 seconds to play to take a one-point win over the Highlanders. O'Keefe (game-high 13 points) and Siamone Bennett (10 points) each recorded double-digit scoring, while O'Keefe recorded a trio of steals and Bennett knocked down two blocks on the day.

On the year, O'Keefe's 16.3 points per game average paces the Bulldogs, while her 8.2 rebounds per contest are also a team high. The big forward shoots a team-best 78.6 percent from the line and is successful from long range over 36 percent of the time (43-for-118). She hits 44.5 percent from the floor. Junior point guard Kristin Mraz has handed out a team-best 65 helpers this season while sophomore Siamone Bennett has a squad-high 34 blocks.

THE GAME
Today's matchup is the second meeting of the season between the Bulldogs and the Knights, with Fairleigh Dickinson winning the first battle, 59-51, on Nov. 17 in Teaneck, N.J. Today's game also serves as Bryant's Senior Day and will be the last time seniors Cara Johnson and Stephanie Fontaine play in front of the home crowd.

SCOUTING FDU (6-19)
A 71-69 loss to Central Connecticut State broke up the Knights' three-game winning streak Monday, Feb. 16. FDU was led by 23 points from Mariyah Laury in the loss, whith Alyssa Mayrose chipping in 22 and Jordan Sykes adding 11. Laury went 8-for-10 from the free throw line while Mayrose collected 11 rebounds for the only double-double of the contest.

On the year, Fairleigh Dickinson is led by 14.6 points per game from Laury while also getting 13.5 points per game from Christy Altamirano and 11.9 points per outing from Mayrose. Altamirano paces the Knights on the glass, pulling down 8.4 rebounds per contest. She also has a team-best 23 blocks and squad-high 43 steals. Sykes has dished out 85 assists so far this season while Altamirano is the most dangerous from downtown, shooting 34.4 percent (32-of-93).

THE SENIORS
Senior Stephanie Fontaine, a communication major from Franklin, Mass., enters tonight's contest with 140 career points and 85 rebounds during her four-year career. Today marks her 77th career game at Bryant and second career start. Fontaine recorded a career-high eight points against Assumption last season, pulling down a career-high nine rebounds in the same contest. This season, she collected six points vs. Monmouth with four rebounds against NJIT and shoots 41.2 percent over her Bulldog career.

One of the most consistent and athletic players to come through the Bryant women's basketball program, senior captain Cara Johnson, an applied psychology major from Endicott, N.Y., enters today's game with 713 career points and 379 rebounds over her four-year Bulldog career. A career 38.7 percent shooter, today marks her 101st game played and 60th career start. Johnson scored a career-high 25 points this season against St. Francis (PA) and pulled down a season-high 10 boards in a home win over Wagner. She is second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding this season and posts a team-best 23 steals.

LAST TIME OUT
Down a point with 20.5 seconds left in the game, the Bryant University women's basketball team's success rested on one play, one shot. And as the Bulldogs charged down the court after a huge stop on the defensive end, they went to their clutch player, leading scorer Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.), to get it done on a deadline.

And with 12.3 seconds remaining, she did just that, putting back the layup under pressure to regain a 48-47 lead that would stick, as the Bulldogs pulled out a thriller on the road for their first winning streak of the season and second victory of the year over NJIT Wednesday night.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED? BRYANT at NJIT [2/18/09]
Bryant (9-16) took a 27-16 lead into the locker room at the half, but allowed the Highlanders (6-17) to muscle their way back in early in the second frame, as the home side took their first lead since the opening minutes with 10:16 left to play, 36-33.

O'Keefe and sophomore Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) each scored double-digits to pace the Bulldogs, with O'Keefe tying a game high with 13 points and Bennett recording 10. O'Keefe also gathered a game-high seven rebounds. Bryant shot 37.9 percent on the day to NJIT's 31.6 percent and outrebounded the home side, 39-37.

Coming out of the intermission, the Highlanders opened the half with a full court press, and the Bulldogs struggled to adjust in the opening minutes, allowing NJIT to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 31-24 five minutes in.

It wouldn't be long before a three-pointer from Jill Dickinson - her second of the frame - narrowed Bryant's lead to 33-29 with 12:33 still to play. The lead was cut to two on a fast break resulting from a Bulldog miscue, 33-31, just 59 seconds later, and Katie Piekeilski knotted the score with 10:42 to play.

At the 10:16 mark, the Highlanders took their first lead since the opening minutes on a three-point play from Ivana Seric, 36-33, as the Bulldog continued to be plagued by turnovers. They would have 19 on the day.

Down, 43-41 as the clock ticked under the four-minute mark, the Bulldogs were still looking to regain some momentum on an unfriendly court.

Bryant pulled within one, 45-44, with 3:07 showing on the clock off Shannon Wood's (Gorham, Maine) first points of the contest, a huge three-pointer from the top right side of the arc, and the Bulldogs were still down by one when they came up with a big stop with just 20.5 seconds to play. And with 12.3 on the clock, O'Keefe took the ball to the hole for the game-winning shot.

But the drama wasn't over. With just 4.7 seconds left, O'Keefe took her fourth foul of the game, sending Seric to the line the chance to win it. But when the sophomore missed them both and the Bulldogs got the rebound, NJIT's fate was sealed in the 48-47 last-second loss.

The Bulldogs started out the game with three-straight three-point attempts, missing on each to let the home side gain a 6-2 early edge. Bryant needed over three minutes to get its first bucket - which came from O'Keefe 3:13 in - but then fired off eight-straight points to take a 10-6 lead with 12:44 left in the half.

Up, 12-10 with 10 minutes to play in the opening frame, the Bulldogs held NJIT to over six minutes of scoreless basketball, knocking down seven points of their own for a 19-10 lead before allowing the Highlanders to get back on the board with 4:04 to play.

Turnovers plagued the Bulldogs early in the half, handing the ball over 11 times, but only resulted in two Highlander points, thanks to just 23.1 percent shooting from NJIT. That, coupled with the Bulldog miscues, kept the score low throughout the first 13 minutes before Bryant broke out and doubled up its lead over the home side, 24-12, on a Cara Johnson (Endicott, N.Y.) trey with 3:05 to play before the break. The lead forced head coach Margaret McKeon to burn her only 60-second timeout.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs capitalized on 10 Highlander miscues, converting the home team's turnovers into nine points, six of them on fast breaks.

Bryant shot 41.4 percent in the frame to enter halftime up, 27-16, led by seven points from O'Keefe.

NJIT was led on the day by 13 points apiece from Seric and Piekielski.

THE HIGHLIGHTS
The Bulldogs started their first winning streak of the season, recording back-to-back-to-back wins - a run they will try to add to today.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING
Senior captain Cara Johnson and junior captain Kelsey O'Keefe have recorded the team's only double-doubles of the season, with 10 of the coming from O'Keefe and one coming from Johnson. Both captains recorded double-doubles against Wagner on Feb. 16, with Johnson collecting 20 points and 10 boards and O'Keefe recording 19 and 10.

HOT HANDS FOR HUDSPETH
Sophomore sharpshooter Lindsey Hudspeth has shown a hot hand to end January and start February, averaging 8.3 points per game from Jan. 24 through Feb. 14 after coming up with only 2.9 in the previous 16 outings. She has matched or recorded new career highs in points (18), rebounds (7), assists (2) and minutes (29) since the end of January and has upped her accuracy to 41.9 percent over the last seven contests. She was also 11-for-25 from downtown.

YOU'RE THE TOP
On top of getting onto Bryant's top-10 all-time scorers list, O'Keefe now sits at No. 6 with 1,326 career points, the Bulldog junior captain is in the top five of four other career statistical categories. The junior forward is second all-time in made field goals (479), fourth all-time in rebounds (650) and fifth all-time in 3-point field goals made (112). Sophomore Siamone Bennett also made a career top-5 list after just under two years of play, her 62 blocks coming in at No. 5 all-time.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Junior co-captain Kelsey O'Keefe and sophomore forward Siamone Bennett were named to the Fordham Holiday Tournament all-tournament team for their performances over the two-day classic Dec. 28 and 29. O'Keefe, who led the team in points both games, averaged 15.5 points per contest, while Bennett averaged 13.5 points per outing.

BURKE EARNS 250TH CAREER VICTORY
With a first-round win over Colgate University at the Fordham Holiday Classic on Dec. 28, 18-year head coach Mary Burke earned her 250th career victory. In her 18th season as head coach of the Bryant University women's basketball program, Burke has a career record of 255-250 and has enjoyed two 20-win seasons over her coaching days. She entered 2008-09 with a 246-234 career record. The Bulldogs' have earned six wins so far this season to get Burke to the landmark victory.

BABY GRAND
With a layup 43 seconds into Dec. 1's 53-50 win over St. Francis (NY), junior Kelsey O'Keefe became the 19th player in Bryant women's basketball history to pass the 1000-point plateau. The 6-1 forward enters tonight's game with 1,326 points after being the team's top points scorer in each of the past two seasons. O'Keefe is the first player to achieve such a feat since Joanna Skiba ('07) reached the 1000-point plateau against Assumption College on November 30, 2006, and she is one of the fastest to reach the landmark. She also moves up to No. 6 on the Bryant all-time scorers list.

BURKE NAMED TO INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE HALL OF FAME
Rhode Island hoops pioneer and Bryant head coach Mary Burke has been named among the 12 headed for the RI Interscholastic League Hall of Fame.

A Rhode Island native, Burke was a great multi-sport athlete in the early days of the league's girls sports programs and is one of the best athletic success stories of any of the league's female graduates. She will be inducted on May 6 at the league's annual Hall of Fame induction dinner at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

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 and are 5-2 in the safe confines of the Chace Athletic Center. The Bulldogs hosted St. Francis (NY) on Dec. 1, getting their first Division I home win, and returned home in January 2009 where they fell to St. Bonaventure in the first game of back-to-back home contests to open the new year. But Bryant got back to winning with a 63-53 topping of Colgate at home, and has since earned three other home wins, including the first back-to-back victories of the season of Feb. 14 and 16.

The Bulldogs are also shooting better in Smithfield, connecting on 43.2 percent of shots from the floor at home as compared to 37 percent away from the Chace Athletic Center. Bryant also converts 42.3 percent of 3-pointers at home, connecting on just 28.7 percent on the road.

CROSSING ENEMY LINES
Including members from Bryant's future home in the Northeast Conference as well as Independents, the Bulldogs will compete against seven 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: 0-3
  Independent: 2-0
  Ivy League: 0-4
  Northeast Conference: 4-5
  Patriot League: 2-3

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 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.

OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
Senior Cara Johnson and junior Kelsey O'Keefe have been named the 2008-09 team captains.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs play out their last three games of the season on the road, first traveling to Saint Francis (N.Y.) Feb 23 at 7 p.m. before heading to Sacred Heart on the 28th for a 2 p.m. matchup. Bryant rounds out its 2008-09 slate with a season-finale bout with Mount St. Mary's on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m.

MAPPING IT OUT
Despite its home in Smithfield, R.I., Bryant boasts no homegrown talent on its 2008-09 roster. Instead, the Bulldogs hail from five different states, with six players coming to Douglas Pike from Massachusetts and six 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 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.