Saturday, February 21, 2009

BULLDOGS RIP OFF FOURTH-STRAIGHT VICTORY, OVERCOME HALFTIME DEFICIT FOR 59-53 SENIOR DAY WIN OVER FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON

Boxscore / PHOTO GALLERY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Co-captains Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) and Cara Johnson (Endicott, N.Y.) each scored in double figures to lead the Bryant University women's basketball team to its fourth-straight victory Saturday afternoon, topping Fairleigh Dickinson, 59-53, on Senior Day at the Chace Athletic Center.

O'Keefe paced the Bulldogs (10-16) with 12 points while Johnson added 11 with a team-best seven rebounds in the win, as Bryant extends its winning streak to four games. The Bulldogs shot 46.7 percent in the second frame to make up for lackluster shooting and a 12-point halftime deficit after the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs went down 10-4 early after opening up the game with a quick bucket from Johnson, but brought the score back to within one, 12-11, off a deep three from sophomore Lindsey Hudspeth (Mount Laurel, N.J) with 10:17 to play in the first frame.

The half went back and forth from there, capped off by a huge block by Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) to keep Bryant's deficit at just a single tally.

But the Knights (9-17) would regain a multipoint advantage, upping their lead to 26-17 by holding the home side to a single basket over a five-minute stretch.

The Bulldogs would score just three more points in the opening 20 while FDU scored six in the final three minutes to take a 32-20 halftime lead.

Bryant limited their turnovers to seven in the first frame, but the Knights were able to capitalize, getting seven points off Bulldog miscues and getting six second-chance points off their six offensive boards. FDU owned the glass in the first session, outrebounding Bryant, 24-19, while outshooting the home team, 41.4 percent to just 24.2 percent.

But in the second, Bryant ripped off 10-straight points to open the frame and cut the Knights' advantage to just two points, 32-30 - a run sparked by O'Keefe's spin-move layup 1:04 into the half. The Bulldogs held FDU scoreless for the first 5:10, when Mariyah Laury hit a trey from the right side to up the score to 35-30 in favor of the visitors.

But with 13:48 to play, junior Kristin Mraz (Johnstown, N.Y.) hit a three of her own to tie the game up, 35-35. Mraz finished with eight points.

The Knights were held to just Laury's three over the first 7:20 of the session, and Bryant gained its first lead since the opening basket off a Courtney Schermerhorn (Lowell, Mass.) layup with 12:10 to play, 37-36.

The teams would trade leads until Mraz hit from beyond the arc again, followed by a hook shot from Jaime Campbell (Springfield, Mass.) that gave Bryant a 44-38 edge with 9:55 remaining.

FDU's Shenika Chang knotted the game at 44-44 with 6:47 to play, but the Bulldogs responded with a 7-0 run that put the game out of reach for the Knights at 51-44.

The visitors would cut the lead to three with 28 seconds left, but sent O'Keefe to the line to seal Bryant's 10th victory of the season with a 59-53 final.

The Bulldogs shot 34.9 percent on the day while FDU shot 35.8 percent after hitting under 30 percent in the second frame. Bryant was outrebounded on the day, 46-40, but ended Senior Day on a high note with the win. Bennett recorded a trio of blocks while O'Keefe knocked down a pair of FDU shots. The Bulldogs move to 6-2 at home and 5-5 against NEC competition.

The Bulldogs now finish out their 2008-09 inaugural Division I season on the road, travelling to Saint Francis (N.Y.) on Monday, Feb. 23 (7 p.m.) before heading to Sacred Heart (Feb. 28) and Mount St. Mary's (March 2) to round out the year.