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Brown University
8-1
Bryant
2-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | 20 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 84 |
| Bryant | 13 | 13 | 28 | 13 | 67 |
12/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman Shayna Mehta scored a career-high 30 points, and senior Jordin Alexander netted a season-high 24 points to lead Brown University women's basketball to an 84-67 win over Bryant University on Sunday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.
The Bears (8-1) completed the Ocean State sweep with their win over the host Bulldogs (2-5), defeating all three of the Division I schools in the state of Rhode Island in the same season for the first time in program history. Brown topped Providence, 57-47, on Nov. 17 and edged the University of Rhode Island, 67-63, on Dec. 1. A season ago, the Bears fell to all three programs.
Brown holds its best record though nine games since starting the 1973-74 season with an 11-1 mark.
Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) shot 10-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-7 on 3-pointers. She tied Brown's single-game record for 3-pointers made and established a new school single-game record for most 3-pointers made without a miss. Against Brown's three Ocean State rivals, she averaged 20.7 points per game. She scored over 20 points for the second time this year after pouring in 21 points and hitting 6-of-9 shots from downtown vs. URI.
Alexander (Fishers, Ind.) eclipsed the 20-point mark for the first time this year after connecting on 10-of-18 shots from the field. She added four assists on Sunday and scored 18 points vs. the Bulldogs last year.
Freshman Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) tallied 11 points and seven rebounds while sophomore Janie White (Clarksville, Tenn.) totaled five points, five boards, and four blocks.
Brown opened the game with an 8-4 lead behind five points from Alexander and a 3-pointer from Mehta before Bryant took an 11-10 edge at the 4:28 mark. The Bears then closed the first quarter with a 10-2 run to gain a 20-13 edge. Sophomore Kennedy Martin (Los Angeles, Calif.) started the run with a reverse layup prior to a trey from Mehta, a 15-foot jumper from junior Rebecca Musgrove (Plainview, N.Y.), and another 3-pointer before the buzzer from Mehta.
The Bears used a 7-2 run to start the second period, comprising a 3-pointer from Mehta, a coast-to-coast lay-in from Steeves, and a jumper from Musgrove, to go ahead 27-15. Alexander netted five straight points to push the visitors' edge to 15 points at 32-17 with 4:52 to go in the half. Brown tallied eight unanswered points, including a White 3-pointer and an old-fashioned 3-point play from Mehta, to pull ahead 44-24 and led 44-26 at the break.
Despite two baskets from Alexander and a reverse layup from Mehta, Bryant cut its deficit to 52-40 less than three minutes into the third quarter. Brown maintained a 57-40 edge at the 5:23 mark after a 3-pointer from Mehta and a driving layup from senior Ellise Sharpe (Tipp City, Ohio). Mehta's sixth 3-pointer of the day gave the Bears a 64-49 lead and a layup from Alexander staked the visitors to a 66-54 edge through three quarters.
Bryant trimmed its deficit to less than 10 points early in the fourth quarter for the first time since the 8:11 mark of the second, but the Bears hit 9-of-12 free throws and 3-of-5 shots from behind the arc to seal the win. Steeves made a trey to put Brown up 75-61 with 5:23 remaining, and Mehta hit her seventh 3-pointer of the afternoon to give the Bears a 79-61 edge with 2:19 left.
In the first half, Mehta shot 5-of-5 from the field, 4-of-4 from distance, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line while Alexander hit 6-of-9 shots from the floor and her one 3-point attempt. The Bears shot 55.8 percent from the field in the first half, 6-of-12 from behind the arc, and held the Bulldogs to 31.4 percent shooting, 1-of-12 from 3-point distance
Alex Klein paced Bryant with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Haley Connors scored a team-high 15 points while Ivory Bailey compiled a double-double on 10 points and 11 boards.
Next, Brown takes a break for finals before playing at Kent State on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. The Bears close the month with games at Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec. 29, 2 p.m.) and at Saint Peter's (Dec. 30, 4 p.m.).
Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
