After trailing for over 39 minutes, Palmer's jumper at the buzzer lifts Bulldogs to 50-48 victory over Knights

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After trailing by seven at the close of the third quarter, the Bryant University women's basketball team flipped the script on Fairleigh Dickinson in the fourth, outscoring the Knights, 17-8, as sophomore Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) buried a deep jumper to win the game, 50-48, as the buzzer sounded.

The Bulldogs (10-11, 5-5 NEC) regained possession after the Knights' (5-16, 3-7) Madelynn Comly's drive to the basket rattled in to tie the game, 48-48, with three seconds left. Following a Bryant timeout, the ball was advanced and the Bulldogs ran an out-of-bounds play right in front of their bench. Palmer inbounded the ball to senior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.), who handed it back off to the streaking Palmer. The sophomore point guard took two dribbles and launched what proved to be the game-winning shot from the top of the key with one tick on the clock.  

Leading up to Palmer's game-winner, the Bulldogs trailed in the contest for 39:06, but junior Naomi Ashley's (Hamilton, Ont.) jumper, as part of six-straight points from the guard, tied the game, 46-46, with 0:54 to play. The Black and Gold's first lead came off Ashley's ensuing free throws.

The Ontario native's 12-point performance marks her first time leading the Bulldogs in scoring in her career, while Palmer was the only other Bulldog to finish in double figures with 10. Ashley went 3-for-4 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the line. Palmer shot 4-for-14 from the field, 2-for-7 from three and 2-for-4 from the stripe.

Both teams finished 34.5 percent from the floor, but struggled from three, as Bryant shot 14.3 percent and FDU 20.0 percent. The Bulldogs connected on 10-of-15 from the line, while the Knights made 4-of-7. The Bulldogs bounced back from a loss on the boards at Central Conn., outrebounding the Knights, 50-48. Senior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) led the Black and Gold with 10 boards, including three on the offensive glass.

The Knights compiled three major runs in the contest, including an 18-1 spurt from the 1:49 mark in the first to the 4:16 mark in the second. The scoring streaks incorporated four threes, including one from Comly, who finished with a game-high 19 points off 8-for-15 from the field and 3-for-9 from three-point land. Bryant responded back with five-straight buckets from the field, as the Bulldogs' 10-0 run pulled them within nine, 28-19, at the break.

In the opening five minutes of the third, the Black and Gold outscored the Knights, 15-4, pulling within one, 32-31, after freshman Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) went one-for-two from the line. The Knights didn't fold, answering back with an 8-0 run to stretch the lead back to nine, 40-31, with 53 seconds to play in the third.

The Knights' nine-point third quarter advantage didn't last long, as the Bulldogs were let out of their cage, limiting the visitors to three field goals in the fourth quarter, as the Black and Gold outscored FDU, 17-8, in the period. The Bulldogs comeback gave way to Palmer's last second jumper, earning the Bulldogs their fifth conference win, 50-48.

The Bulldogs follow this dramatic win with a short trip to Fairfield, where they will take on conference-leading Sacred Heart on Saturday at 1 p.m.