January 16, 2008

BRYANT FALLS TO SOUTHERN NH AT HOME, 69-61, WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR FOURTH-STRAIGHT LOSS

Cara Johnson led Bryant on the glass with nine rebounds.

SMITHFIELD, RI - Backed by near 50 percent shooting from the floor and an 8-for-8 clip from the free throw line in the final minute, Southern New Hampshire University handed the Bryant University women's basketball team its fourth-consecutive loss, 69-61, and third home loss of the season Wednesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Despite trailing, 35-31 at the half, the Bulldogs (11-6, 6-6 Northeast-10) quickly caught up just two minutes into the second frame on a Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass.) three-point play that tied the score at 36-36.

Kokoski's next basket gave Bryant a temporary two-point lead, but the advantage would last barely a minute as a trey from Southern New Hampshire's Stephanie Houghton put the Penmen back on top, 41-38, with 16:34 to play.

Bryant pulled back within two at the 6:45 mark and had a chance to tie with Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) on the line and 6:28 to play. O'Keefe missed the first end but made the second, cutting the Bulldogs' deficit to one, 51-50. But Bryant wouldn't be able to recoup the lead, as Houghton made 6-of-6 from the stripe in the last minute to drive the tally to a 69-61 final.

But the Bulldogs charged out of the gates to open the contest, getting off to a quick 7-0 start in the first 1:30 before the Penmen went on a 7-2 run to bring the score close to even. With 10 minutes to play in the first frame, Bryant retained a three-point edge, 16-13, but a jumper from SNHU's Sara Tucker tied the game at 22-22 with 5:36 left on the clock.

Megan Shay's jumpshot gave the Penmen their first lead of the game, and they would continue to inch away from the home team as the minutes ticked down to halftime.

With 12 seconds to go in the first half, Bryant's Stephanie Fontaine (Franklin, Mass.) drove hard inside for a tough bucket, drawing the foul and completing the three-point play to close the gap, 33-31 in favor of Southern New Hampshire. But after a last-second bucket from Tucker, the Penmen took a 35-31 advantage into the break.

SNHU shot 54.2 percent for the first frame and 47.2 for the game, outdoing the Bulldogs' 33.8 game clip, a percentage dragged down by 27.8 percent shooting in the second half. Both teams committed costly turnovers, though the Penmen moreso than the Bulldogs, 30-23.

Houghton and Kokoski each notched 16 points to lead the game, while SNHU's Megan Smith owned the boards on the day with a game-high 12. Cara Johnson (Endicott, NY) was the only other Bulldog to register double-digit points with 11. Southern New Hampshire shot 15-for-16 from the line on the day to Bryant's 14-of-23.

The Bulldogs make the trek to Syracuse, NY for their next bout, Sat., Jan. 19 at Le Moyne College. Tipoff is 1:00 p.m.