Women’s Basketball Falls to Bryant in Season Opener, 45-44

Tuesday, November 5

Providence, R.I.

7:00 PM

Brown University

0-1

Bryant

1-0

Bryant

Brown

Women’s Basketball Falls to Bryant in Season Opener, 45-44

11/5/2019 9:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University women's basketball held Bryant University to under 30-percent shooting and without a 3-pointer, but the Bears fell to the Bulldogs, 45-44, on Tuesday night at the Pizzitola Sports Center in the season opener for both teams.

In the first game of their 47^th season, the Bears (0-1) pulled within 45-44 with 1:23 remaining but could not pull ahead of the visiting Bulldogs (1-0) inside of the final 83 seconds.

"We played hard tonight, and I was pleased with the level of effort, especially on the defensive end," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We understand that this is our first game together as a new team in a new year, and we know that we have some improvements to make."

Making her return to the court after missing all of last season due to injury, junior guard McKenna Dale (Storrs, Conn.) posted nine points and five rebounds while sophomore guard Maddie Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) registered six points and four assists.

In their collegiate debuts, several freshmen made an impact for Brown. Guard Lexi Love (Oakland, Calif.) netted eight points and hit 2-of-2 3-pointers, forward Fiona Finn (West Roxbury, Mass.) totaled six points and five rebounds, forward Dani Short (Aliquippa, Pa.) posted a team-high eight rebounds, and guard Sydney Rosant (Foster City, Ga.) hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

Junior guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) added four assists and three steals, and senior center Haley Green (Salem, Va.) corralled six rebounds.

Brown held Bryant to 28.1-percent shooting from the field and to 0-of-11 on 3-pointers. The Bears led in bench points (28-14) and points off turnovers (21-14) but trailed in points in the paint (28-16) and free throws made (13-0).

In the first quarter, Mullin connected on a 3-pointer, Short made a jumper, and Dale netted four straight points to push Brown ahead 9-8 with 2:28 to go in the period. A jumper from senior Caroline Zaffino (Darien, Conn.) helped the Bears remain within 14-11 of the Bulldogs at end of the opening stanza.

After Bryant took a 16-11 lead, Brown used a 13-4 run to move ahead 24-20. Love sparked the run with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Mullin nailed her second triple of the game. Baskets from sophomore Alana Kelley (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Dale allowed Brown to take a 26-24 lead at the break.

In the first half, Brown limited Bryant to 8-of-26 field goals (30.8 percent) and 0-5 treys while the Bears led the Bulldogs in bench points (18-7).

A jumper from Finn, layup through contact from Green, and a fast break layup from Leonidas kept Brown within 33-32 of Bryant heading to the fourth quarter.

A corner triple from Rosant knotted the score at 35-35 with 9:18 to play. Back-to-back jumpers from Finn then gave Brown a 39-38 lead with 6:32 left. The Bears pulled within 45-44 with 1:23 remaining after Leonidas came up with a steal, and Dale knocked down a 3-pointer, but Brown could not take the lead inside of the final minute.

For Bryant, Sydney Holloway posted a double-double on 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Trinity Bravo tallied a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Next, Brown hosts the University of Maine on Monday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+/NESN, WPRV-AM 790).

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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.