#4 Bulldogs fall short vs. top-seeded Colonials, 72-67, Wed. night in NEC Semifinals

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. – Despite hitting a season-high 12 3-pointers, the #4 Bryant University women's basketball team fell to #1 Robert Morris, 72-67, in the Northeast Conference Tournament Semifinals, Sunday night at the Charles L. Seawall Center.

Often times in basketball, pace dictates the outcome of a game. In the case of Sunday night's NEC Semifinal contest, two differing styles collided with only one emerging as the more dominant; the Bulldogs, who use their defensive pressure to get transition baskets, vs. the Colonials who are much more effective in the half-court game.

However, it was Robert Morris, led by two-time NEC Player of the Year Artemis Spanou who posted a game-high 24 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, who controlled the game for the majority of the 40 minutes to secure a trip to the NEC Tournament Finals on Sunday.

The Bulldogs could not has asked more from their shooters as sophomore guard Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Maryland) and senior guard Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) put on a show from deep combining for 10 3-pointers and 33 points. Winder led Bryant with 18 on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range in 31 minutes while Schissler added 15 points on 5-of-11 from deep to go along with four rebounds.

Senior forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.), the lone Bryant represenative on the All-Tournament team, rounded out the Bulldog double-digit scorers with 13 points (6-of-6 from the field), nine rebounds and three assists. Point guard Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) put up seven points, eight assists and seven rebounds and classmate Stephanie Cardamone (Freehold, N.J.) chipped in eight points including a pair of triples in 16 minutes of action. Bryant shot 42 percent from the field, knocking down a season-high tying 12 3-pointers.

Aside from Spanou's 24, Cassie Oursler put up 13 points and four boards while Rebeca Navarro chipped in 10 points off the bench. Anna Niki Stamolamprou and Ashley Ravelli added nine and eight points, respectively.

After a 7-3 Bryant run pulled the visitors within a basket, Spanou took it upon herself to keep her team in front, scoring the next nine points for the Colonials. However, the Bulldogs matched the NEC Player of the Year blow-by-blow, finding themselves down 24-21 at the under-eight media break.

Robert Morris's patience paid off over the next couple of positions as back-to-back 3-pointers from Navarro and Ravelli gave the Colonials its largest lead of the game, 30-21, with just over six minutes until halftime.

The hosts extended their lead to 11 points with just over four minutes to play but an 11-0 run (4-of-5 shooting in final 4:09 of the half) sparked by Winder and Cardamone brought the two foes even, 34-34, heading into the locker room. Winder lead Bryant with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep while Spanou paced the Colonials with 11 of her own.

Robert Morris came roaring out of the locker room opening the second half on 9-of-13 shooting to go up 53-46 with just over 12 minutes left to play. Over the next three minutes, the two teams traded baskets, with Bryant even pulling with a point with 11:41 to play, but Spanou continued to do work on the offensive end helping Robert Morris maintain a slim, but steady edge.

Scoring on both ends slowed but only for a brief moment as sharp shooting from Winder and Schissler kept Bryant in the game, cutting the deficit to just one, 65-64 with 3:33 left to play. After a free throw put RMU up a basket, Spanou and Navarro each hit huge jumpers with the shot clock winding down to push the #1 seed's lead to six points, 70-64, with just 1:13 left on the clock.

After a pair of empty possessions, the Bulldogs boarded the rock on the front end of a 1-and-1 miss and drove the ball down to court for a Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) baseline finish to cut the lead to just four points, 70-66, with 15 seconds left. On the other end after being forced to foul, Ravelli knocked down a pair from the charity stripe to ice the game for the Colonials, 72-67.

The Bulldogs wrap up a historic 2013-14 season in which they set records with Division I wins in a season (17), NEC wins in a season (11), highest finish in NEC standings, and the first DI postseason win in program history.

For all the latest news on the Bryant University women's basketball team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.