Bulldogs remain perfect on the season as they take down Brown, 70-67, Thursday night in Smithfield

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – In another nail-biter in Smithfield, the Bryant University women's basketball team edged out Brown, 70-67, after the Bulldogs out-shot and out-rebounded the Bears, helping them to stay a perfect 3-0 to start the season.

After the 15th tie of the game at the 8:36 mark in the fourth, the Bulldogs (3-0) regained the lead and managed it as their defense and rebounding proved to be the staple in the contest. The Bears (2-1) had the final possession of the game with 26 seconds to go, but Bryant played lock-down D, as Brown's Shayna Mehta airmailed a three in a last ditch effort.  

"Unbelievable and gutsy performance," said head coach Mary Burke. "I'm so proud of the players for their passion to want to win and doing the things necessary down the stretch speaks volumes for the future and where we are going this year."

The Bulldogs finished 26-for-58 (44.8%) from the floor, 6-for-14 (42.9%) from three and 12-for-22 (54.4%) from the line. Brown went 24-for-58 (41.4%) from the field, 6-for-17 from behind the arc and 13-for-15 (86.7%) from the charity stripe. The Black and Gold outrebounded the Bears, 47-24, grabbing 16 offensive boards to Brown's three. Junior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) alone finished with more offensive rebounds than the Bears, as she ripped down a career-high four in her first-career start.

"There is no one I am happier for," Burke said in response to Ashley's performance. "She has worked very hard and she deserves this moment. We were looking for someone to give us that spark at the two-guard position and she gave us rebounding, defense, points and she did unbelievable job at it.

After getting hot in the third, junior Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) stayed involved in the last quarter, hitting a three from the right-elbow extended, as the Bulldogs tied the contest, 53-53. A minute and a half later, the NEC Preseason Selection hit yet another one from deep to extend Bryant's lead to five, 58-53, with 7:06 to go in the game. Bailey finished the contest with 15 points off 6-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from three.

Freshman Sydney Holloway (W. Va.) recorded a new career-best 12 points after scoring four points in the fourth, including a layup in response to Mehta's three with 6:24 to play. Senior Alex Klein's (Waterloo, Ont.) jumper with 4:28 to go gave Bryant their largest lead of the game, 66-59, before Brown answered with a six-point run, 66-65. With 54 seconds to play and the shot clock winding down, Klein sank a baseline jumper to aid Bryant in its 70-65 edge. Klein finished the contest with her second-straight double-double off 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mehta was bailed out by a foul call on a drive to the basket with 47 seconds remaining and the sophomore drained both from the line, 70-67. The Bulldogs missed two shots in the ensuing possession, but the story of the game was their team defense, as Bryant held strong through the final 26 seconds.

To start the game, Klein had Bryant's first five points, including two points that were a part of the Bulldogs' six-point run to give them a five-point lead, 9-4, with 7:70 remaining in the first. The Bears responded back with a five-point scoring streak, comprised of a Taylor Will and-one and Mehta's layup in transition that tied the game, 9-9, with 7:06 to go in the opening quarter.  

With junior Bailey and sophomore Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.), two starters for the Bulldogs, out of the game due to foul trouble in the second, the Bulldogs struggled to defend the Bears, allowing the Bears to tie the contest on three occasions, before taking their first lead of the game, 30-28, since 2:35 left in the first. The Bulldogs wouldn't go away, hounding the Bears on the boards, as Bryant came up with two offensive rebounds down the stretch, in which Ashley converted into two points to pull Bryant within two, 32-30. The Black and Gold entered halftime with a three-point lead, 35-32, after senior Chanel Ramcharran (Pickering, Ont.) hit one from downtown with 29 seconds left in the half.

The Bears came out in the second half, finding the 10th lead change of the game, as the visitors opened the third with an eight-point run, 40-35, that gave Brown its biggest lead of the game up to the 7:41 mark in the third. The Bulldogs wasted no time earning the lead back, 43-40, as Bailey came up with two steals and a three-pointer, Ashley an offensive rebound and Klein a three-point play from the line.  The Bryant advantage didn't last long, as Mehta scored the next nine points for the Bears, giving Brown a 49-45 lead with 2:12 to go in the quarter. Ramcharran hit her second from behind the arc, pulling Bryant within one, 49-48, but the Bears would close out the third with a two-point edge, 50-40, their only winning quarter of the game.

The two teams, tied the first period, but Bryant won the second and fourth quarters, ultimately leading to the Bulldogs' 70-67 win, marking their third-straight single-digit win as they begin the season at 3-0.

Bryant finished with four double-digit scorers, as Klein's 18 points topped the Bulldogs' stats. Will finished with a game-high 25 points for the Bears, while Shayna notched 20 and Erika Steeves 10.  

The Bulldogs turn their attention next to the University of New Hampshire, as the Black and Gold hit the road to face the Wildcats on Tuesday at 5 p.m.