Klein records first career double-double, Bulldogs fall to Brown, 84-67

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After trailing by as much as 20 points, the Bryant University women's basketball team pulled within nine of Brown, off an Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) layup, before allowing the Bears a nine-point run, to seal the 84-67 Bruno victory, Sunday afternoon in the Chace Athletic Center.

Klein's first career double-double off 14 points and 16 rebounds helped spark the Bulldogs' second half comeback, but freshman Shayna Mehta's career-high 30 points off 10-of-12 from the floor and 7-for-7 from behind the arc, helped Brown fend off the Bulldogs late in the game.

To open the third quarter, Bryant scored on four of their first five possessions, including a spin move and finish by Klein in the paint, 50-35, with 7:54 to play in the third. Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) was explosive off the bench for the Bulldogs, converting an and one to cut Bruno's lead to 12, 52-40. Connors finished the game with a team and career-high 15 points off 6-of-11 from the floor.

With 0:32 remaining in the third, Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) grabbed an offensive rebound and dished it to Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) for the lay in to cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 10, 64-54, marking lowest since 5:39 in the second.

The Bulldogs continued to knock on the door in the fourth, pulling within nine points of the Bears, 68-59, after senior Dani Anderson (Wellington, Kan.) buried a three off an inbounds play with 8:02 to go. The Bears' three-point shooting late in the game helped solidify the win, including a trey at the top of the key by Erika Steeves to advance Bruno's lead to 14, with 5:23 left in the contest.

The Bulldogs had five players finish with double-digit points, four of which started the game for the home team, including 12 points apiece from Anderson and Olander. Along with Klein, Bailey recorded her first double-double of the season off 10 points and 11 rebounds, after shooting 4-for-21 from the floor. The Black and Gold shot 35.1 percent from the floor, 20 percent from three and 62.5 percent from the line. The Bulldogs out-rebounded their opponent for the seventh-straight game, grabbing 18 more boards than the Bears.

Brown averaged 48.4 percent overall, 55 percent from behind the arc and 72.2 percent from the line. Mehta led Bruno with 30 points, while also logging two rebounds and three steals. The Bears had three players score in double-digits, including a season-high 24 points for Jordin Alexander, who netted 10-of-18 in 34 minutes of play.

The Bears took an early lead in the game and expound on it in the second period, going up as much as 20, 44-24, with 1:07 to play in the first half. A layup from Connors led to an 18-point deficit for the Bulldogs at the break. In the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs shots 31.4 percent from the floor, 8.3 percent from 3-point land and 50 percent from the line, while the Bears shot 50 percent or better in the respective areas.

The Black and Gold take on yet another in-state rival on Wednesday, when the Bulldogs travel to Providence to take on the Friars for a 7 p.m. tip.