Tuesday, March 17, 2009
BULLDOGS WRAP UP INAUGURAL DIVISION I SEASON WITH 11-18 RECORD, STAND AS WINNINGEST DI WOMEN'S TEAM IN RHODE ISLAND
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Highlighted by a five-game winning streak and six Northeast Conference wins, the Bryant University women's basketball team wrapped up a stellar inaugural Division I season with an 11-18 final record, surprising future conference rivals and other DI opponents alike with its competiveness and success in the first year of reclassification.
The Bulldogs finished the season as the most winningest Division I women's basketball team in Rhode Island, taking 11 wins on the year while URI and Providence College finished with 10 each and Brown with just three.
During the course of the season, the Bulldogs faced off against the Northeast Conference 13 times, putting together a five-game winning streak (four coming against NEC schools) to go 6-7 against their future league. Bryant took a pair of wins over second-place finisher Central Connecticut and St. Francis (N.Y.) and earned a victory over Wagner while also avenging an early loss to Fairleigh Dickinson with a 59-53 topping of the Knights on Senior Day.
A trio of Bryant opponents are also making appearances in the 2009 Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament field. Sacred Heart - NEC regular-season and tournament champion as well as a 64-50 victor over the Bulldogs in the season finale - earned a No. 14 seed while Dartmouth - one of Bryant's just two home losses (71-56) - won the Ivy League title and a No. 16 seeding. Patriot League champ Lehigh University also puts on dancing shoes in a No. 15 slot, beating the Bulldogs, 68-55, in the early goings of the 2008-09 season.
And just as she did in her previous pair of seasons with the Bulldogs at the Division II level, junior Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) was again the driving force behind the Bryant offense in 2008-09.
A dominant power in the league in her first year of Division I play, the 6-foot-1 junior captain paced the Bulldogs in points per game for her third-consecutive season, carrying the scoring load by averaging 16.3 points per outing while also contributing the top four single-game performances of the year. The forward's numbers would have ranked sixth in the Northeast Conference in scoring.
O'Keefe fell just one point shy of tying her career-high with a 32-point showing against CCSU on Feb. 14 and presented back-to-back 26-point outings against the Ivy League's Yale and Brown on Jan. 10 and 13. She also chipped in 25 against Robert Morris to open February, one game after senior captain Cara Johnson (Endicott, N.Y.) recorded a career-high points total of her own with 25 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Jan. 31.
The 19th 1,000-point scorer in program history, O'Keefe scored her 1,000th point with her first basket in a Dec. 1 home win over St. Francis (N.Y.). Her 1,391 career points rank her No. 5 all-time, just seven behind fourth-ranked Ali Curry (1398) and 19 behind No. 3 Stephanie Ladd (1410) with a season of eligibility remaining.
O'Keefe was also the best three‑point shooter on the team, hitting 50-of-137 on the year while shooting 36.5 percent from the behind the arc. Registering double figures in 26 of the team's 29 games, O'Keefe also had a team-best nine double‑doubles, including four in a row mid-season. The Warren, Mass. native scored 20‑plus points seven different times and was regarded as one of the top players in the conference by opposing coaches based on her ability to score both outside and inside all season long. She shot 43.8 percent from the floor on the year.
But that wasn't her only contribution. O'Keefe also pulled down a squad-high 7.8 boards per game, proving her rebounding prowess was just as effective at the NCAA's top level. Her 670 career boards place her fourth on Bryant's all-time list.
O'Keefe led the team in points 20 times, pacing the Bulldogs on the glass on 17 occasions. She registered team-best assist numbers in nine outings, steals in 10 and blocks in seven. O'Keefe also led the team in made field goals (171; 5.9/game), made 3-point field goals (50), free throw percentage (80-of-103; .777) and minutes played (31.2/game).
Johnson also had a career year in her senior season, chipping in a second-best 9.8 points per game with one double-double - a 20-point, 10-rebound performance against Wagner on Feb. 16. The senior captain shot 36.7 percent from the floor, leading the Bulldogs in steals (32) on the year while getting 28.7 minutes of floor time per contest.
The 5-10 guard led the team in scoring on eight occasions, pulling down team-high rebounding numbers six times.
The 2008-09 scoring tandem thrived at home, with O'Keefe collecting 18.3 points per game and Johnson earning 12.1 points per contest in the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center. The pair also blossomed during Bryant's five-game winning streak, scoring 19 and 12 points per game, respectively.
The combination of junior Kristin Mraz (Johnstown, N.Y.) and freshman Shannon Wood (Gorham, Maine) found success in splitting time in the point guard role in 2008-09, with Mraz averaging 6.3 points per game with 73 assists and Wood averaging 2.8 with 68 helpers. The duo combined for 42 steals on the year.
Sophomore Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) struggled to be the inside presence she was in her rookie campaign at the opening of the 2008-09 season, but found her way as the year progressed. The team leader with 39 blocks, Bennett's 67 career rejections are good for fifth all-time in Bryant history. The sophomore paced the Bulldogs in scoring three times and in rebounds on eight occasions. She led the side in blocked shots 19 times, her season-high four blocks coming against NJIT on Jan. 28.
Sophomore Lindsey Hudspeth (Mount Laurel, N.J.) proved she will be a more than capable replacement for Johnson next season, stepping up her shooting game in the latter half of the year to become a deadly threat from the outside. Hudspeth appeared in all but one contest for the Bulldogs, shooting 32.8 percent from long range and 34 percent from the floor. The sharpshooter took the majority of attempts from behind the three-point line (61-of-103) and was a 70 percent shooter from the charity stripe. She recorded a career-high 18 points to lead the Bulldogs against Dartmouth on Jan. 24.
Courtney Schermerhorn (Lowell, Mass.) had a strong season as well, again running much of the offense while averaging 5.0 points per contest. The junior shot 34.2 percent from the field. Rookie Brittany Stahura (Amsterdam, N.Y.) also made waves toward the end of the Bulldogs' inaugural DI campaign, earning starts in six of the final seven games. During that span, she chipped in 4.1 points per game and collected 3.7 rebounds per outing to compliment two blocks, 10 assists and a 56.5 shooting percentage from the floor.
With a season like this one, the Bulldogs are already looking forward to another year of Division I Independent play with excitement and promise. The Bulldogs will be awarded a full Northeast Conference slate in 2009-10 and look to immediately send shockwaves through the league with their increased competitiveness and determination. And with the loss of just two seniors, the Bulldogs should be well equipped to do just that.
NEC beware, the Bulldogs are here to stay.
