Bryant tops LIU in Saturday doubleheader

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball took down Long Island, 57-53, on Saturday afternoon to grab its second Northeast Conference victory.

The Bulldogs came from behind and erased a nine-point first-quarter deficit and was led by Masey Zegarowski (Hamilton, Mass.) and Nicole Gallagher (Foxboro, Mass.) with 11 points. Senior Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W.Va.) trailed with 10 points as three Bulldogs posted double-figure scoring performances.  

GAME INFORMATION
Bryant 57, Long Island 53
Records: Bryant (4-12, 2-3) | Long Island (3-13, 2-3)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)

KEY MOMENT

• A 7-0 LIU run to end the first quarter forced the Bulldogs to a nine-point deficit heading into the second quarter.
• Bryant held LIU to just six second-quarter points outscoring the Sharks, 19-6. The Bulldogs went into the locker room at the end of the half with a four-point advantage, 30-26, that the Black and Gold would not surrender for the remainder of the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After an opening three-pointer from the Sharks to start the game, the Bulldogs went on a quick 9-2 run to grab a 9-5 lead in the first four minutes of play.
• It wasn't long before the Sharks ate away at Bryant's lead by netting the next six points to gain the advantage. The Bulldogs would get two from the stripe from Holloway before Long Island scored seven straight to give the Sharks a nine-point cushion heading into the second quarter, 20-11.
• The Bulldogs pulled within seven before the media timeout in the second quarter thanks to a short jumper from Holloway. The basket fueled an 8-0 run to put Bryant within one, 24-23.
• LIU's Brandy Thomas responded by grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back in for two. But Bryant finished the quarter by shooting four-for-four from the charity stripe followed by a buzzer-beating three from Masey Zegarowksi to give the Bulldogs their first lead since the first quarter, 30-26.
• Bryant outscored the Sharks 19-6 in the second quarter holding LIU to just eight field-goal attempts. The Bulldogs capitalized by posting a 50 percent field goal percentage off seven-of-14 shooting.
• Trinity Bravo (Bridgeport, Conn.) lobbed the ball over the defense to Brooke Bjelko (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) to kickstart the second half and help the Bulldogs to a 6-0 run that gave the Black and Gold a 10-point cushion, 36-26.
• The Sharks countered with a run of their own scoring seven straight to get within three at the 6:36 mark, but a pair of back-to-back three-pointers from Gallagher ended the run and gave Bryant a nine-point advantage, 42-33.
• Kandis Taylor (Sunrise, Fla.) drove to the basket just before the buzzer to give the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the day, 48-37, to end the quarter.
• At the 3:50 mark in the fourth quarter, LIU's Jeydah Johnson knocked down a three to fuel a 9-1 run to put the Sharks within two, 55-53.
• With under a minute to go, Bravo swiped back-to-back steals and drew fouls on both possessions. The sophomore went two-for-four from the stripe to ice the game, 57-53.

STATS

• Zegarowski and Gallagher led with 11 points. Gallagher led shooting three-of-six from behind the arc while Zegarowski finished the game shooting four-of-10 from the field.
• Holloway also posted double-figures posting 10 points off three-of-11 shooting and four-of-six from the stripe.
• LIU outrebounded the Bulldogs, 34-31.
• The Bulldogs finished the game with a 40.4 field goal percentage off 21-of-52 shooting.

GAME NOTES

• Taylor posted a career-high in scoring with nine points.
• Bravo swiped a career-high five steals.
• Gallagher has posted double-figure scoring performances in five-straight games since the beginning of conference play.
• Bryant is now 4-4 when three players post double-figure scoring.
• As a team, the Bulldogs set a new season-high for the second straight game with 15 total steals as a team.
• The Bulldogs are now 16-4 all-time against the Sharks and 10-1 when meeting LIU in Smithfield.

UP NEXT: Mount St. Mary's34
Bryant looks even the score with Mount St. Mary's after falling 76-70 earlier this season. The Bulldogs head to Emmitsburg, Md. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.