Bulldogs hold off Mount in OT Monday, 74-72

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Playing in its second-straight overtime contest, the Bryant University women's basketball team held off Mount St. Mary's, 74-72, Monday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

In their second overtime game in three days, the Bulldogs (16-7, 9-3 Northeast Conference) held off a scrappy Mountaineer (7-16, 5-7 NEC) squad for the much-needed victory.

Junior forward Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore center Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.)  finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) added 17 points while freshman Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) posted 13 points, four rebounds and a career-high seven assists.

Mount St. Mary's saw four hit double figures led by 15 from freshman Jessica Harris. Senior Jacqueline Brewer added 14 points, while Jody Chickey put up 11 points and five assists. Jen Carney rounded out the double-digit scorers for Mount with 12 points.

Looking to snap its four game skid, The Mount came surging out of the gates, hitting four of its first six shots to open a 10-4 lead before the first media timeout of the contest. Over the next 3:49, the Bulldogs responded with a 15-2 run, including nine points from Rucker, to open a 19-12 lead at the 12:39 mark of the first half.

The lead continued to change hands through the six-minute mark until back-to-back buckets from Winder and Ivory Bailey gave Bryant the 30-26 edge at the final media break of the period. The Bulldogs closed the half on a 13-4 run to take a 38-30 advantage into the locker room.

Rucker led all scorers at the break with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with six boards while Chickey paced Mount with nine points.

Out of the break, the Black and Gold lead hovered around 10 points until a 5-0 Mount St. Mary's run brought the visitors within five, 46-41, with 13:39 left on the clock. The Mountaineers eventually whittled down the margin to just a bucket, 52-50, but three-straight points from Olander pushed the gap back to five, 55-50, with 9:19 remaining in the contest.

Over the course of the next six minutes, scoring on both ends became stagnant as the margin remained slim but steady in favor of the Bulldogs, 60-56, with just 3:34 left to play. Carney's second 3-pointer of the contest brought the visitors back within two points, 63-61, until an Arthur-Williams layup at the 2:16 mark even the score for the first time since the first half.

Bryant responded with Rucker's 21st point of the night on the subsequent possession, but Brewer knotted the score for the sixth time, 65-65, with her big score at the 1:08 mark. After a big stop, senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) earned herself a trip to the free throw line where she knocked down a pair to give the Black and Gold the brief two-point lead until another Brewer finish from the left side tied the game, 67-67, with 14 seconds left.

With the final possession of regulation, the Bulldogs were unable to score, sending the game into overtime. In OT, Brewer continued her late push scoring the first basket of extra time before four-straight Bulldog free throws gave the hosts a 71-69 advantage with just over three minutes left.

A Harris breakaway layup brought the visitors within a single point, 73-72, with a minute left on the clock but a Jenniauqa Bailey free throw and a strong final defensive possession resulted in the 74-72 Bulldog victory.

Looking ahead, the Black and Gold will head to Emmitsburg, Md., to wrapup the home-and-away with the Mountaineers on Saturday at 4 p.m.