Bulldogs snap Colonials' nine-game winning streak with 62-59 OT victory on ESPN3

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After trailing for nearly three quarters, the Bryant University women's basketball team forced overtime, following sophomore Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) game-tying three, before taking down previous NEC-leading Robert Morris, 62-59, on Monday night on ESPN3.

Down three with 16 seconds to play, head coach Mary Burke drew up the out-of-bounds play for Connors and the Bulldogs (14-13, 9-7 NEC) executed it perfectly, as the sophomore hit nothing but net, tying the game, 54-54, sending the game into overtime against the Colonials (17-10, 12-4).

The Bulldogs found only their second lead of the game, 56-54, after freshman Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) stroked two from the line to kick off extra time. Senior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn) was the Bulldogs' go-to in overtime, as the center took advantage of the mismatches with Megan Smith and Mikalah Mulrain sitting on the bench with five fouls, scoring back-to-back layups to push the Black and Golds' edge to three, 60-57. In the final minutes, Bryant played lock down defense and converted from the chalk, taking away the 62-59 victory.

After being dealt four of their six nationally televised losses by the Colonials, the Bulldogs found their first-ever win over RMU, keeping their hopes of hosting the first round of the NEC tournament alive and well. The victory is the fourth-straight for the Bulldogs, marking their longest of the season, while snapping the Colonials' nine-game winning streak in conference play.

Anna Nikki Stamolamprou led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 7-for-21 from the floor, 3-for-9 from three and 3-for-4 from the line. Senior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) headed the Bulldogs with her seventh double-double of the season off 18 points and 13 rebounds. Olander was the only other Bulldog to finish double figures with 15 points off 6-for-16 from the floor. The center also ripped down nine boards.

The Bulldogs dished out 17 assists to RMU's nine with sophomore Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) leading the way at seven. Bryant also won the battle on the boards, 45-35. The Bulldogs outshot the Colonials from the floor (38.5%-32.2%) and the line (69.2%-64.0%), while both teams finished 33.3 percent from behind the arc.

After winning the tip, the Colonials opened with a 6-0 run and it wasn't until the 5:58 mark that the Bulldogs got on the board off a made layup by Olander. Minutes later, the center drained a three from the top of the key as the shot clocked was winding down to pull Bryant within three, 10-7. RMU closed out the first on a 7-2 run, earning the 18-9 edge over the Bulldogs. Stamolamprou finished with five points in the opening frame, including the three that ignited the visitors' run before the break.

After trading baskets to start the second, RMU put together two-straight field goals, including Smith's corner three, followed by a runner by Stamolamprou to give the Colonials a 12-point advantage, 30-18, with 5:15 to play in the period. The Colonials held a double-digit lead for nearly five minutes, but freshman Masey Zegarowski's (Hamilton, Mass.) 1-for-2 mark from the line cut the Bulldogs' deficit to nine, 32-23, heading into intermission.

After leading Bryant scorers with six points at the break, Klein opened the second half with four-straight field goals, pulling Bryant within five, 36-31. The forward tacked on two more points at the line and was the lone Bulldog to score in the third until Connors went 1-for-2 from the chalk, as Bryant narrowed the deficit to one possession, 36-34, with 1:45 to play in the quarter. With 37 ticks on the clock, senior Chanel Ramcharran (Pickering, Ont.) drilled a corner three to give Bryant its first lead of the game, 39-38. In the third, the Bulldogs outscored the Colonials, 16-6, as RMU scored only two field goals in the 10-minute span.

The Colonials wasted no time, earning back the lead, 46-39, off back-to-back threes from Stamolamprou and Smith, as the visitors opened on an 8-0 run. The Bulldogs stormed back within one, 46-45, off a 6-0 run. Up three with over five minutes to go in the game, three Colonial post players were sent to the bench, including Smith, after all three bigs fouled out in the course of 19 seconds. Bryant's defense played the Colonials strong, but the hosts struggled from the line, as Klein missed four-straight down the stretch. The veteran shook it off, scoring a layup in transition to pull Bryant within one, 48-47, with 3:24 to play. Klein's field goal snapped the Bulldogs' 3:12 dry spell.

Connors went on to nail the game-tying three with 12 seconds to go in regulation and the Bulldogs put together a 9-1 run from the end of the fourth into overtime, helping to solidify their 62-59 conquest over Robert Morris on Monday night on ESPN3.

The Bulldogs will look to carry the momentum into Staten Island, where they battle Wagner on Saturday at 1 p.m.