Winder lifts Bulldogs to 57-54 comeback win at UNH Weds.

DURHAM, N.H. – Behind 16 points apiece from juniors Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) and Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio), the Bryant University women's basketball team took down New Hampshire, 57-54, Wednesday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium.

The comeback win snaps a three-game skid for the Bulldogs (7-4) who wrap up 2014 on a high note with Northeast Conference play just three days away, while the Wildcats (8-4) drop just their second game of December.

With the score knotted at 54-54 and time ticking down, senior guard Melissa Corraro (Shelton, Conn.) penetrated into the lane and found a wide-open Winder in the corner, setting up the junior guard for clutch, game-winning 3-pointer with seconds left to lift Bryant to the 57-54 victory.

Rucker led the Bulldogs with her ninth double double of the season, posting 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Winder put up 16 points (13 in the second half), six boards and a pair of steals in 38 minutes.

Sophomore center Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) finished with 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals while freshman guard Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) registered eight points and five boards. Corraro played huge minutes off the bench for Bryant, knocking down a clutch bucket late in the game while dishing out four assists in 25 minutes of action.

Gaston paced UNH with a game-high 20 points, 10 boards, and five assists, and Kaylee Kilpatrick finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

Needing just a bucket, senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) became the 22nd player in Bryant women's hoops history to reach the 1,000 career point milestone just minutes in Wednesday's contest, but the celebration was short lived as the Wildcats went on a 16-2 run to open a 23-11 lead nearly halfway through the first half.

Weathering the storm, the Bulldogs continued to fight, cutting the one-time double digit lead to eight points, 25-17, at the under-four media break thanks to 3's from Rucker and Winder. Bryant closed the half on a 12-5 run, despite just 27 percent shooting for the half, to cut the deficit to five, 28-23, heading into locker room.

Out of the half, a pair of Olander baskets brought the Bulldogs within a point but back-to-back trifectas from Simpson pushed UNH back up seven, 36-29, with 15:14 left on the clock. Bryant's shooting woes continued through the 12-minute mark as the visitors were just unable to find their stroke trailing, 42-34.

The Black and Gold went on to open a 12-3 run, capped off by a Winder steal-and-finish, to retake the lead, 46-45, with just 6:05 remaining in the contest. The Bulldogs pushed their edge briefly to three points but a Kilpatrick free throw pulled the Wildcats back even, 48-48, with just under four minutes to play.

With two minutes to play, Winder broke the tie with a huge 3-pointer just before Gaston answered right back to even the score, 51-51, with less than 60 ticks left on the clock. On the ensuing possession, Olander tracked down a long miss and found a cutting Rucker who laid in the bucket, plus the foul, to put Bryant up three, again. But it was Gaston who responded once again with an And-one of her own to knot the score, 54-54, with 25 seconds to play.

In clutch fashion, Winder knocked down her second huge long ball of the half to push the Black and Gold past the Wildcats, 57-54, snapping a three-game losing streak in the process.

Looking ahead, the Bulldogs open NEC play on Saturday (2 p.m.) when they visit LIU Brooklyn as part of a doubleheader with the men.