January 10, 2008

WOMEN FALL SHORT OF COMEBACK IN 80-76 LOSS TO PACE
Bryant drops third-straight contest

Boxscore

PLEASANTVILLE, NY - The Bryant University women's basketball team nearly completed a 12-point second-half comeback, but failed rebounding in the final minute forced the Bulldogs to drop their third-straight contest, 80-76 to Pace University Thursday night at the Goldstein Center.

The Bulldogs (11-5, 6-5 Northeast-10) got off to their best start in the last three games, despite turning the ball over 13 times in the opening frame. The two teams traded baskets through most of the first half, with neither team leading by more than six points.

Bryant looked to be starting to pull away with 10:06 to play before halftime, 23-17, but the tides would quickly turn, as Pace (4-9, 4-5) tied the score at 25-25 with over seven minutes to play. The Setters would grow that lead, while the Bulldogs endured a 4:40 stretch where they scored just a single basket.

With 28 seconds left in the first frame, Pace's Brittany Huggins feathered in a shot from downtown, upping her team's lead to 42-36 - a shot that would be answered at the buzzer by a Cara Johnson (Endicott, NY) bucket to enter halftime down, 42-38.

Bryant managed to stay out of early foul trouble for the first time in three contests, and didn't get whistled through the first 11 minutes of the game. Sophomore leading-scorer Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) led the game with 17 first-half points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Pace's Stephanie Rossmy entered the break with 10.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in the opening half, with the Bulldogs leading the way, 59.3 to 51.4.

Coming out in the second half, the Setters benefited from two quick Bryant fouls, making good on all four shots from the charity stripe, and followed it up with a pair of treys to take a 54-45 advantage with 14:12 to go in regulation.

But Bryant brought it back to 61-57 with 10:27 to go after a pair of 3-point plays from O'Keefe and a bucket from Johnson, and cut the Setters' lead down to four with 6:24 to go.

A three-point play from freshman Amanda Pierlioni (Plainville, Conn.) nearly completed the Bulldogs' comeback, drawing her side to within two, 72-70, but it was Johnson who made it a tie game with 4:32 left.

When Pace went back up, 78-74, with 8.2 seconds remaining, Courtney Schermerhorn (Lowell, Mass.)  responded, cutting the Bulldogs' deficit to 78-76 with 2.4 seconds showing. But there wouldn't be enough time to keep Bryant from dropping its third-straight, 80-76.

O'Keefe led all scoring in the game with 25 points, while Johnson notched her second double-double of the year (14 points, 10 rebounds) in the loss. Four Setters scored in double-digits, led by Taylor Losey's 19. Losey went 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Despite its first losing streak of the season, the Bulldogs shot 52.5 percent for the game, besting Pace's 46.9 percent, and outrebounded the Setters, 34-32.

Bryant will return home to the Chace Athletic Center on Wed., Jan. 16 to host Southern New Hampshire at 5:30 p.m. The Bulldogs are 1-0 against the Penmen this season, taking a 61-46 win in Manchester, N.H., Dec. 8.