Bulldogs edge Colonials in NEC thriller

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team let an 18-point advantage evaporate but ripped off a late rally of its own to pull out a 75-71 victory over Robert Morris University in Northeast Conference action on Monday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

After surrendering the lead with 11:45 to go in regulation, the Bulldogs (10-5, 3-1 NEC) fell behind by six points in a wild final 10 minutes that saw the lead change three more times before the final buzzer.  But a jumper by junior Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) with 20 ticks to go put the home team ahead for good, and classmate Katie Whittington (Twinsburg, Ohio) iced the contest with back-to-back free throws.

Soper's performance was particularly memorable, as the Bay Stater missed a triple-double by a mere one assist.  She finished the game with 12 points and 11 boards to go with nine assists.  It would have been the program's first triple-double performance since current assistant coach Lynne-Ann Kokoski last did so against Bridgeport on Dec. 19, 2007.

Whittington, meanwhile, finished the night five points off her career high in scoring, dropping 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 5-of-10 clip from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. 

Matching that output and setting a new career high of her own was sophomore Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.), who produced 21 points while missing a double-double by one rebound, finishing with nine to propel the Bulldogs to their first-ever win against RMU. 

The Colonials (9-6, 3-1 NEC) saw three players combine for 52 points, or 73.2 percent of their total scoring.  April Williams dropped an impressive seven three-pointers and finished the evening 7-of-11 from long range while adding a game-high 25 points overall.  Preseason All-NEC Team member Artemis Spanou recorded one of RMU's two double-doubles with an even 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Mary Durojaye, meanwhile, dropped 16 points and hauled down 12 boards.

After emerging from the locker room down by eight, RMU stormed into the second half and took a six-point lead with just under 10 minutes to play on a three-pointer by Williams.  The Bulldogs slowly chipped at that advantage until a longe-range shot by Whittington dropped in with 4:33 remaining, pushing the home team back in front by one, 69-68.

Williams responded with another three before Danielle Douglas (Silver Springs, Md.) tied the game by means of back-to-back free throws to draw both teams even at 70-70 with just over a minute to go.  The junior added 16 points and three steals as one of four players to reach double-digit scoring.  

Robert Morris had a chance to go ahead, but Spanou missed a shot from downtown, allowing Soper to chip in the go-ahead basket.  The Colonials had one more chance to tie it, but Durojaye missed a layup, giving control over to the Bulldogs and Whittington, who finished it off with two straight free throws to end.

The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 43.6 percent from the field on 17-of-39 shooting, while outrebounding the Colonials, 47-39, on the game. 

Bryant hardly missed early in the first half, logging a 52.4 percent clip from the field on 11-of-21 shooting in the first 10 minutes of play, propelling the home team to a 25-13 lead over the Colonials.  Douglas was nearly impeccable, making four of her first five shots to lead the team with eight points in the early goings.

The Bulldogs continued to pile it on the Colonials, jumping out to a 31-13 lead by virtue of a 19-4 run with 7:06 to play in the first half.  But the preseason second-ranked team in the NEC promptly responded, outscoring the Bulldogs by a 12-0 margin over a span of 3:36 to get right back in the game, cutting an 18-point deficit to ten as the Bulldogs' lead fell to 33-23 with under three minutes remaining in the stanza.  Both teams fought aggressively right through the finish, and Bryant headed to the locker room up 38-30.

Hot shooting was prevalent for the Bulldogs in the first half, although the home team did go an even 4:00 without a basket.  Bryant finished the first frame shooting 43.6 percent on a 17-of-39 clip, slightly better than RMU's 36.4 percent mark on 12-of-33 shooting.

Next up for the Bulldogs will be a trip to Emmitsburg, Md., where Bryant will face off against Mount St. Mary's for the first time this season on Saturday (Jan. 14) at 3:30 p.m. before finishing the weekend against Wagner next Monday (Jan. 16), with tip-off set for 2 p.m.