Bulldogs fall to Red Flash, 83-79, Mon.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) put up a career-high 22 points but it wasn't enough as Saint Francis U. rode a career-high 30 points from Alex Hayward to down the Bryant University women's basketball team, 83-79, on Monday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

In a battle of third-place teams, the Red Flash (9-12, 7-3 NEC) were able to overcome a severe rebounding disadvantage to earn a season split with the Bulldogs (11-10, 6-4).

Bryant trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and led by one with under four minutes to play but Saint Francis sank several key shots to hold on for the victory. Hayward's layup with 3:39 left put the Red Flash up 74-73, a lead they would not relinquish. A Bridget Murphy layup and two more free throws from Hayward pushed the lead to four with 2:29 to play. Rucker made things interesting by converting a three-point play with just 39 seconds remaining but Hayward's final two points of the night with 12 seconds left sealed the Red Flash victory.

Seeking redemption after a tough buzzer-beating loss at home three weeks ago, SFU came out of the gates quickly on Monday, grabbing a 16-5 lead five minutes into the contest. Seven points from Rucker pulled Bryant back within seven, 20-13, with 12:36 to go but seven points from the NEC's leading scorer Ali Williams and back-to-back threes from Hayward ballooned SFU's lead to 14, 36-22 with 7:24 to go.

The Bulldogs, however, responded with some of their best basketball of the season. Senior Stephanie Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) answered Hayward's three with a triple of her own to start a 16-1 run to finish the half. Three-straight points from classmate Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) brought the deficit under 10, and a three-point play from Rucker trimmed the lead to just three, 36-33, with 4:35 left. The Bailey-Rucker duo continued the stretch as Bailey canned another layup and Rucker sank a baseline jumper to give the Black and Gold their first lead of the game, 37-36, with 1:45 to play. A Williams free throw ended the scoreless skein but Bailey's free throw with six ticks left in the half gave the Bulldogs a one-point lead at the break. In all, the Bulldogs held the Red Flash without a field goal over the final 7:24 of the first stanza.

Saint Francis came out of the locker room refocused, though, using another quick spurt to regain the lead. Hayward chipped in five quick points and Williams rattled off seven-straight to push the Red Flash lead to four, 53-49, with 14 minutes to play. Needing a spark, the Bulldogs got exactly that from sophomore sharp-shooter Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.). Coming off her best game of the season, Winder continued her superb play, drilling a trifecta before finishing a gorgeous three-point play to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the night, 60-55, with 11:52 to go.

As was the case all night, the Red Flash turned to Hayward and the junior delivered. Hayward seemingly answered every Bryant bucket with one of her own to keep the game close before Aisha Brock hit a step-back three from the corner to put the Red Flash on top, 68-67, at the 5:36 mark. The two teams would trade baskets, Bryant receiving five-straight points from senior Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.), over the next two minutes before a Hayward layup and a Bridget Murphy layup would put the Red Flash up for good.

Rucker finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season, and Ankoma-Mensa registered her eighth with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Bailey finished with 13, Winder had a season-high 11 and Meredith Soper (Winthrop, Mass.) added 11 rebounds. Hayward finished with 30 points and Williams finished with 22 points and seven rebounds for SFU. Bryant shot 39 percent from the field, while the Red Flash finished at 46 percent.

Bryant returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 8 when it welcomes Central Connecticut to the Chace Athletic Center in the first game of a women's and men's doubleheader. Tip is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.