WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTS RIVAL CCSU IN NEC ACTION THURSDAY AT 5 PM

February 02, 2010

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOSTS RIVAL CCSU IN NEC ACTION THURSDAY AT 5 PM

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Winners of six of its last eight games, the Bryant University women's basketball team hosts rival Central Connecticut State on Thursday at the Chace Athletic Center at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs come into the game with a 9-12 overall record and tied for third place in the Northeast Conference with a 6-4 record. Bryant has won six of its last eight games with both losses against the defending NEC champs, Sacred Heart. Despite being tied for third place in the NEC, the Bulldogs are ineligible for the conference tournament until the 2012-13 season. The Blue Devils are 8-12 overall and 5-5 in the conference coming into Thursday's matchup. CCSU, who finished second in the NEC last season, is currently tied for sixth place in the conference. This will be the third matchup between the two programs with both coming last year in Bryant's inaugural DI season. With both games decided by less than 10 points, the Bulldogs pulled off two upset victories.

Not unlike any of the past three seasons, the Bulldogs are led by their 6-foot-1 forward, Kelsey O'Keefe. The senior is averaging a team-high 14.7 points per game and has scored 1,656 points in her career, good enough for third place all-time. However, new and young faces are beginning to shine for Bryant as it continues its march into Division I. Freshman Meredith Soper has started the last nine games for the Bulldogs and most recently recorded the first double-digit rebounding night of her career. Classmate Danielle Douglas has now started 10 consecutive games and plays a crucial role in the Bulldogs recent success. On the offensive end, Douglas averages 3.5 ppg but she makes her presence felt on defense. The rookie averages 1.2 steals per game and currently leads the team with 23.

RIVALRY WEEK IN THE NEC
With bragging rights at stake, the inaugural Northeast Conference (NEC) Rivalry Week is set to take flight with six pairs of men's and women's hoops rivals set to meet in home-and-home contests this Thursday and Saturday. The pairings are as follows: Long Island-St. Francis (NY), Fairleigh Dickinson-Monmouth, Robert Morris-Saint Francis (PA), Quinnipiac-Sacred Heart, CCSU-Bryant and Mount St. Mary's-Wagner.

The unique concept of playing back-to-back games against a local rival in a 48-hour span is the only one of its kind among the nation's 31 NCAA Division I conferences.

"NEC Rivalry Week provides an exciting and unique approach to creating a buzz among our fanbase," said Noreen Morris, NEC Commissioner. "By highlighting a number of long-standing rivalries, it should make for a dynamic weekend of hoops action across the Conference. In many cases, the geographic proximity of our institutions will allow fans the opportunity to attend both ends of the home-and-home series."

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
The Central Connecticut State women's basketball team has lost five games by a margin of five points or less this season, and yet still find themselves with a .500 record in the Northeast Conference. Led by preseason all-conference guard Kerrianne Dugan, the Blue Devils are currently tied for sixth place in the NEC. CCSU is currently ranked eighth in the conference in scoring offense averaging 60.2 ppg and fifth in scoring defense allowing 60.7 per contest. Similar to the Bulldogs, the Blue Devils are ranked very high in rebounding offense. CCSU pulls down an average of 40.6 rebounds per game. While the Devils excel at rebounding, they struggle from beyond the arc, shooting just 27.9 percent from long range. That ranks the squad 11th of 12th in the conference.

Juniors Kerrianne Dugan and Leanne Crockett lead the way for the Blue Devils. Dugan and Crockett are coming off some of the best performances of their careers in the win Saturday against Fairleigh Dickinson. Dugan recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists. She fell just one rebound short of a triple-double. The Connecticut native leads the team averaging 11.2 points per game. Crockett, who averages 10.4 ppg recorded a career-high 26 points on a perfect 9-9 from the field. Crockett was 4-4 from 3-point range and 4-5 from the free throw stripe. The one missed free throw was her only missed shot of the afternoon. Crockett also leads the team in rebounding averaging 8.6 boards per game.

Dugan and Crockett rank 16th and 20th in the conference in scoring, respectively. Crockett is also ranked 2nd in the NEC in rebounding.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
With her 33 and 34-point performances against Monmouth and Quinnipiac, respectively, Kelsey O'Keefe has the two highest single-game point totals in the Northeast Conference this season. She is currently ranked eighth in the NEC, averaging 14.7 ppg.

The Bulldogs are shooting well from long-range this season and are currently in fourth place in the NEC in 3-point shooting percentage, averaging 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. Bryant is fourth in 3-point shots made with 119 on the season and fifth in the conference in assists, averaging 13.05 per game. Coming into tonight's contest, sophomore Lekia Cowen is ranked fourth in the NEC, shooting 44.4 percent from long range. Senior captain Kristin Mraz is ranked eighth in the NEC with her 76 assists while O'Keefe is ranked third in free throw shooting percentage, averaging 85.7 percent from the line.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Bryant Bulldogs have outrebounded their opponents in 15 games so far this season, including eight of the nine victories. Bryant is currently ranked second in the NEC in rebounding, averaging 40.8 per game. The Bulldogs are fourth in the NEC in rebounding margin, averaging three boards better than their opponents. In the NEC, Kelsey O'Keefe and Siamone Bennett are ranked 16th and 18th in rebounds per game, respectively. O'Keefe is averaging 6.3 boards per game while Bennett pulls in an even six. Bennett is also second in the conference in offensive rebounds, pulling down and average of 3.38 offensive rebounds per game while O'Keefe sits in fifth place in defensive boards, pulling down 5.28 a night. Bennett also remains in first place in the conference with 29 blocked shots.

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