Mancini and Fortuny lead 52-percent shooting for Bulldogs

Thornton reached double-figures in scoring for the fourth-straight game (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

EASTON, Mass. (November 14, 2023) – Bryant University finished shooting 52-percent from the floor in posting a 69-49 victory over Stonehill College in a non-conference women's basketball matchup on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Senior Mariona Planes Fortuny and freshman Mia Mancini paced Bryant's shooting effort with double figure scoring nights. Mancini buried 5-of-6 three-pointers for a game-high 15 points to go with two rebounds and two assists, while Fortuny made 6-of-10 shots from the floor for 13 points, with three rebounds. Freshman Nia Scott contributed eight points and a game-high nine rebounds, with three assists and three steals, while senior Kemari Reynolds and freshman Martina Boba each scored nine points for the Bulldogs.

Senior Jada Thornton led Stonehill with her fourth-straight double figure game to start the year with ten points, four rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Paige Martin scored a career-high nine points with three rebounds and two steals, while postgrad Anna Boruta contributed nine points.

Bryant shot 68.2-percent in the first half in building a double-figure halftime lead it would not relinquish, connecting on 7-of-8 shots in the second quarter alone, including both three-point tries. Mancini scored 12 of her 15 points in the opening half as the Bulldogs scored seven of the last nine points in the second quarter to carry a 13-point lead (38-25) into halftime.

Martin scored a career-best nine points tonight (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

Bryant outscored Stonehill 16-6 over the first six minutes of the second half to extend its lead to 23 (54-31) after a three-pointer by freshman Silvia Gonzalez . The Bulldogs would not let the Skyhawks any closer than the final margin the rest of the way. 

Noteworthy

• Tonight marked Bryant's first visit to Merkert Gym since Stonehill won its fifth Northeast-10 Conference Championship over the Bulldogs on March 9, 2008.
• The Bulldogs snapped a streak of four-straight Stonehill wins in the all-time series that dates to 1981 and earned their first win at Merkert Gym in 20 years, breaking a run of five-straight losses in Easton dating back to November 2003.
• Thornton's four-straight double-figure scoring games more than double her career total entering the season with seven for her career.
• Boruta scored four of her nine points in the opening two minutes of the game to give Stonehill an early 4-2 lead. Bryant followed with a 15-1 run over the next six minutes to gain control of the game.

Up Next
Stonehill (0-4, 0-0 NEC) returns to action on Friday when it opens a two-game swing through Western New York at the University of Buffalo at 6 p.m. The Skyhawks return home following the Thanksgiving holiday to host Utah Tech at Merkert Gym on Saturday, November 25, opening a three-game homestand at 2 p.m. Bryant (2-1, 0-0 America East) hosts Central Connecticut State University on Friday at 6 p.m.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.