Bulldogs battle hard in Conte Forum, Eagles pull out, 74-59, victory Wednesday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite controlling the lead for over eight minutes in the first half, the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to Boston College, 74-59, on Wednesday night, after the Eagles went on a 10-point run in the fourth quarter.

Junior Kelly Hughes hit the Eagles' (10-1) eighth three of the night, extending the lead to five, 57-52, but Bailey answered with one from downtown to pull the Bulldogs (3-8) within two, with 8:12 to play in the game. Freshman Mariella Fasoula's pair of free throws began the Eagles' ten-point run in the fourth that put the home team up by 12. With 3:12 to play in the contest, Leahy ended the Bulldogs five-minute dry spell on a lefty layup to bring the Bulldogs within 10, 67-57. The Eagles would close out the game with a five-point run to take the win, 74-59.

Senior Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) led the Bulldogs offensively with 12 points, shooting 3-for-9 from the floor, 2-for-7 from three and 4-for-6 from the line. Junior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) added nine points and nine rebounds, while senior Maureen Leahy (Springfield, Pa.) added eight points off the bench. In their closest margin yet, 31-29, the Black and Gold edged out the Eagles by two rebounds, grabbing 24 defensive boards. The Bulldogs shot 47.8 percent from the field, 30 percent from downtown and 70 percent from the chalk.

The Eagles shot 49.1 percent overall, 40 percent from 3-point land and 58.8 percent from the line. Three players scored double-digit figures, including Fasoula, who notched a game-high 20 points. The home team forced the Bulldogs into 21 turnovers, 15 of which came off of steals.

The Bulldogs opened the first quarter on a 4-0 run, after stopping the Eagles on their first three possessions. Sophomore Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) stole the ball at half court and found senior Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) for the easy layup to advance the Bryant run to five, 14-8, with 3:45 to play in the first. Junior Chanel Ramcharran (Pickering, Ont.) hit a floater over Eagles' 6-4 center Fasoula to give the Bulldogs a seven-point lead, the largest of the quarter, with 2:30 to play in the opening period.

BC's Nicole Boudreau scored six-straight points to tie the contest, 25-25, including a three to extend the Eagles' six-point run with 6:25 to play in the second quarter. The remainder of the period resulted in 11 lead changes, including a layup by Leahy in the closing seconds of the first half, to put the Bulldogs back on top by one, 41-40.

With 2:58 to go in the third period, Bailey hit a three to ignite a six-point Bulldog run to close out the quarter, pulling the visitors back within two, 54-52, but the Eagles came out in the fourth quarter, firing on all cylinders, which helped them to the 15-point win, 74-59.

The Bulldogs return to play on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 1 p.m., when they take on Central Connecticut in the first conference game on the season.