The women's basketball team fell to a tough Big East opponent in its season opener, losing 83-50 to the Providence Friars on Friday night.
The Bears came out playing very good basketball in the early minutes, as they stuck with the Friars in front of the home crowd at the Pizzitola Center. Hannah Passafuime '12 sunk an early trey to give the Bears a 3-2 lead, and two free throws by Christina Johnson '10 gave the squad a 7-4 lead a few minutes later.
The tide turned soon after, helped in part by the Friars' suffocating full-court press. Brown began having problems bringing the ball up the court, and a steal by Providence guard Brittany Dorsey led to Providence's first lead of the game, 8-7.
Minutes later, Dorsey struck again, with a beautiful sequence of a steal, crossover dribble and layup. The move led to an eruption of cheers from the traveling Friar fans, and gave her squad a 14-9 lead.
Providence's lead would only grow from that point on, as Brown continued turning the ball over and giving the Friars extra scoring opportunities. Ten first-half turnovers from the Brown players led to 14 points by the Friars.
After a timeout midway through the first half, Bruno came out with its own version of a press, hoping to slow down Providence's offense. But the Friars maneuvered around it, and a three-point shot by Tiffany Hurd widened the difference to 23-12, and silenced the Brown crowd hoping for a turnover.
The first half ended with the Bears down 16 points, 43-27, after a missed jumper at the buzzer by Aileen Daniels '12. They would not get any closer in the second half, as the Friars continued their strong shooting to pull away from the Bears. The Friars shot a fantastic 48 percent (32-67) from the field for the game, compared to Brown's 32 percent (16-50).
Johnson led the Bears with 10 points and seven rebounds and Passafuime added nine points. Mi-Khida Hankins led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Symone Roberts with 16.
The Bears continue their season-opening homestand with two games this week, facing American University on Wednesday afternoon and Central Connecticut State on Saturday night.
Sheila Dixon '13, who scored seven points in her first collegiate basketball match, was not fazed by the game's outcome, instead looking forward to the games ahead.
"It's tough when our shots aren't falling not to get frustrated, but bouncing back is the biggest feat," she said. "Our ability to stay in the game, no matter what the outcome is, is something (Head Coach Jean Marie Burr) emphasized."
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