BOX SCORE

Smithfield, RI – Siamone Bennett scored a game-high 17 points to lead four players in double figures and Bryant used a 20-5 run that bridged the first and second halves en route to a 61-51 Northeast Conference victory over Wagner at the Chace Center.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 8-13 on the season, 5-5 in the NEC while the Seahawks, who suffered their third straight defeat, fall to 9-12 on the season, 2-8 in league play.

Senior forward Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY/ Notre Dame Academy) led Wagner with 12 points while junior center Kelly Clark (Neptune, NJ/ St. Rose) added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Freshman forward Laura Amorosa (Kirkland, Quebec/ Phillips Academy) continues to be a source of energy and production off the bench as she tossed in eight points while grabbing three rebounds in just 12 minutes of action.

Both teams started out cold from the floor at the outset of the game as the first points did not come until 17:46 remained in the first half on a three-pointer by Bryant's Meredith Soper. A Bennett layup gave Bryant a 5-0 lead before senior guard Stephanie McBride (Mechanicville, NY/ Catholic Central) sank a pair of free throws at the 15:49 mark to make it a 5-2 game. Wagner took its first lead of the game on a McBride three-pointer off a feed from senior guard Megan Mahoney (Staten Island, NY/ St. Peter's) that put the Seahawks on top 9-8.

Wagner held three-point leads on three occasions, the last time coming on a layup by junior center Brittney Thorpe (Newport News, VA/ Heritage) that gave the Seahawks a 19-16 advantage with 7:15 remaining in the half. The last lead of the game for Wagner came at the 4:32 juncture of the first half on a driving layup by Olsen that gave the Seahawks a 21-20 lead with 4:22 to go in the half. Bryant then closed the half on a 9-3 run in taking a 29-24 halftime lead. The first half featured eight lead changes but it was Bryant who took the momentum into halftime.

The Bulldogs then picked up where they left off by opening the second half with a pivotal 11-2 run in a span of 7:02 to seize their biggest lead of the game of 14 at 40-26. The only points for Wagner in the run came via a pair of Olsen free throws at the 17:11 mark. The Seahawks' first field goal of the second half came at the 12:35 mark on a Thorpe layup off an assist by McBride that stemmed the Bulldog run and cut the deficit to 40-28. The layup by Thorpe kick-started a 13-4 run that got the Seahawks back into the game.

Amorosa nailed a three-point jumper with 9:03 left off an assist by junior forward Micaela McDonald (Elkhorn, WI/ Elkhorn Area) with 9:03 left that drew the Seahawks to within seven at 42-35. Trailing 47-39 with 6:16 left following a Bennett layup, the Seahawks went on a 7-0 burst to get to within one point at 47-46 with 4:56 left on a three-pointer by sophomore forward Marie-Laurence Archambault (Montreal, Quebec/ Montmorency), the NEC leader in three-point field goal percentage and three-pointers made.

Bryant then called time in an effort to quell Wagner's momentum and following the timeout, the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to push the lead back to nine at 55-46 with 2:35 to go. Bennett started the run with a layup and Soper finished it off by drilling a pair of three-point jumpers and the Bulldogs held on from there.

Bennett recorded a double-double as she added 10 rebounds to her 17-point output. Naana Ankoma-Mensa tallied 12 points while Soper and Danielle Douglas added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Seahawks did a nice job defensively, holding Bryant to 38 percent shooting, including 33 percent from beyond the arc. However, on the offensive end, the Seahawks shot a season-low 25 percent (15-of-60) from the floor including a season-low 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from three-point range. The one area in which Wagner excelled was the free throw line as the Seahawks shot 86 percent (18-of-21) on the evening.

Bryant held a 49-40 edge in rebounds while committing 20 turnovers to the Seahawks' 17. The Bulldogs held a 32-14 edge in points in the paint while the Seahawk bench, spearheaded by Amorosa's eight points, outscored the Bulldog bench 19-14.

Wagner returns to the friendly confines of the Spiro Sports Center to host Monmouth on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 4:00 pm.