 |
| Press Release |
Press Release
PURPLE KNIGHTS FALL TO BRYANT IN NORTHEAST-10 DOUBLEHEADER
SMC women edged, 61-59; Bryant men roll, 96-64FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION
February 16, 2005 Contact: Seth Cole
Phone: (802) 654-2537COLCHESTER, Vt. – Bryant University improved its playoff positioning with a pair of victories versus Saint Michael’s College in Northeast-10 Conference basketball action on Wednesday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Bryant women rallied past Saint Michael’s, 61-59, and in the nightcap, the Bulldog men cruised past the Purple Knights, 96-64.
In the women’s game, sophomore Joanna Skiba’s (Providence, R.I.) driving jumper with five seconds remaining helped Bryant (17-8, 12-8 NE-10) rally from a 20-point deficit and win its fourth straight contest. Senior Dede Fogarty (Middletown, Conn.) paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 17 points, five assists and four steals, while junior Megan Peper (Castleton, N.Y.) came off of the bench to notch 12 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Senior Jessie Weber (Norwell, Mass.) added 10 points for the visitors, who forced 26 Purple Knight turnovers and shot 51.4 percent after halftime.
For Saint Michael’s (7-17, 4-16), freshman Allison Dunn (Wippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards, junior Holly Reeves (Arlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic) chipped in 12 points, and classmate Brigid Hegarty (North Andover, Mass.) added 11 points and five rebounds off of the bench.
In the first half, stifling Saint Michael’s defense helped the hosts open up a 27-13 lead at intermission. Bryant, the top scoring team in the league entering the contest, didn’t score in the opening 5:47, and shot just 5-of-30 from the floor and 2-of-7 from the foul line in the period.
The Purple Knights appeared to seal the win early in the second half, as a lay-up by Rayner gave Saint Michael’s a 39-19 lead with 15 minutes remaining. The Bulldogs intensified their full-court defense, however, and embarked on a 24-5 run over the next six minutes to pull within one, 44-43, with 9:20 to go. A pair of jumpers from Dunn helped the Purple Knights push their lead back to seven, 50-43, with less than eight minutes to play, but Bryant rallied once again, and took its first lead of the contest, 55-54, on a pair of Fogarty free throws with 3:11 remaining. A Hegarty 3-pointer with 1:40 on the clock gave Saint Michael’s its final lead, 59-57, by a lay-up by junior Emily Sauck (Scottsdale, Ariz.) one minute later evened the score, and Reeves’ missed 3-pointer set the stage for Skiba’s game-winning basket. Saint Michael’s could not get a shot off before the final buzzer.
In the men’s contest, Bryant (18-6, 14-6) shot 60 percent from the floor, including 65.5 percent after halftime, in notching its 11th straight win. Senior Mario Correia (Brockton, Mass.) led the Bulldogs with 22 points, six assists and five steals, while junior John Williams (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in 19 points, making 5-of-8 3-pointers. Senior Mike Williams (Ellington, Conn.) and sophomore Dan Hammond (Brunswick, Maine) combined for 14-of-16 shooting and added 16 points apiece, with Williams adding a team-best 10 rebounds.
For Saint Michael’s (7-18, 4-16), freshman Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) tallied 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting off of the bench. Sophomore Chris Cayole (Burlington, Vt./Rice Memorial) added 12 points and a team-best nine rebounds as the Purple Knights committed 25 turnovers and received just 29 points from their starters.
Bryant wasted little time in seizing control, as the visitors opened the game with a 17-6 run. A 3-pointer from freshman James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) cut the Purple Knights’ deficit to 28-21 with eight minutes left in the period, but Bryant forced 11 turnovers while closing the half on a 23-2 run to lead, 51-23, at halftime.
A jumper from senior Eric Swiezynski (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) to open the second half cut the margin to 26 points, but that was as close as Saint Michael’s would get. Bryant sealed the win by going on a 26-10 run over the next seven minutes to lead by a game-high 42 points before the Purple Knights trimmed their deficit in the waning minutes.
Both teams return to action on Saturday, as Bryant visits nationally-ranked Bentley College, and Saint Michael’s visits Southern Connecticut State University, with the women playing at 1:30 p.m., followed by the men at 3:30 p.m. The Purple Knights host their final regular-season games on Tuesday versus the College of Saint Rose, with the women tipping off Senior Day at 5:30 p.m., and the men at 7:30 p.m.
Men's Box Score
Women's Box Score###PURPLEKNIGHTS###
For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002