January 2, 2008

BRYANT WINS NINTH-STRAIGHT CONTEST, 69-55, OVER MERRIMACK COLLEGE TO SET NEW SCHOOL RECORD

Boxscore

Kelsey O'Keefe scored a game- high 21 points in Bryant's ninth consecutive victory, 69-55.

SMITHFIELD, RI - Sophomore Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) scored a game-high 21 points and Jamie Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in a career-high 14 as the Bryant University women's basketball team opens the new year with its ninth-straight win, 69-55, over Northeast-10 Conference rival Merrimack College Wednesday night at the Chace Athletic Center. The victory set a new Bryant record for consecutive wins in a season.

The Bulldogs (11-2, 6-2 NE-10) took the lead early and built to up to a 21-point advantage with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half, 29-8. The Warriors (4-9, 0-7) tried to battle back, but a 13-6 Bryant run in the final five minutes before intermission gave the Bulldogs a 42-23 halftime lead.

Five Bulldogs notched a half-high eight points in the opening frame, as did Merrimack's Takeya Faison.

Merrimack started off the second frame on a 17-8 run over the first 7:35 of action, drawing Bryant's lead to 50-40, and continued to keep it close in the second half. But despite holding the Bulldogs to 30.4 percent shooting in the frame, the Warriors couldn't get closer than within eight, thanks to an Ashley Shannon layup at the 5:08 mark, 59-51.

The Bulldogs closed out the frame on a 10-4 run for their school-record ninth consecutive win, 69-55.

Once reaching a double-digit lead at the 13:13 mark of the first half, the Bulldogs dipped below a 10-point lead just once. Adrianne Mayshar (West Boylston, Mass.) tied her career high with 10 points, while Merrimack's Gately Golden led the game with 11 boards. The Warriors upped their shooting to 41.9 percent (13-of-31) in the second half for a game percentage of 33.3 to Bryant's 44.1 percent.

Bryant returns to action Sat., Jan.5 when the Bulldogs leave the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center for the first time since Dec. 8 and travel to Albany, NY to take on Saint Rose at 1:30 p.m.