Rucker's 26-point performance helps Bulldogs to 70-56 win over Blue Devils in NEC opener Saturday afternoon

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Led by a season-high 26 points from senior Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) in the first Northeast Conference game of the season, the Bryant University women's basketball team pulled away from Central Connecticut State in the fourth quarter to win, 70-56, on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (4-8, 1-0 NEC) went on a 9-0 run, the longest of the game, after Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) found Rucker under the basket for the lay in with 3:07 to go in the fourth for a 63-50 edge. The Black and Gold hit free throws down the stretch to hold onto the lead, sealing the 70-56 victory over the Blue Devils (3-9, 0-1 NEC).

The Bulldogs finished with a season-high 21 assists, led by Palmer's career-best eight. The freshman point guard also scored six points off a three in the third quarter and a trio of free throws in the fourth. Rucker recorded her sixth double-double of the season off a season-high 26 points and 14 rebounds. Senior Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) added 16 points, shooting 6-of-13 overall and 4-of-9 from three while dishing out five assists and a team-high two blocks. Sophomore Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) was the third Bulldog to score double-digit points with 10 points, going 3-of-7 from the floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point land and 1-of-2 from the line.

The Black and Gold shot 25-for-59 overall, 8-for-20 from behind the arc and 12-of-14 from the chalk, while the Blue Devils finished 20-of-55 from the floor, 7-of-13 from 3-point and 9-of-18 from the line. The Blue Devils were led offensively by Camden Musgrave, who scored 21 points, including four threes.

The Bulldogs were off to a quick start, winning the tip and finding Bailey in the right corner for the wide open three. The Blue Devils matched the Bulldogs energy, taking the lead at 8:04, when TeJahne Malone hit a layup to put the visitors up by one, 6-5. A pair of free throws by Rucker with 0:53 to play in the period ended a Blue Devil four-point run and narrowed the gap back to four, 15-11, which closed out the quarter.

With 6:39 to play in the second, Winder hit one from downtown to tie the game, 21-21. The guard found junior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) on the ensuing possession to give the Bulldogs their first lead in over 12 minutes, 23-22, with 5:15 to go in the quarter. The Bulldogs closed out the half with an eight-point run led by Winder, who hit two threes, and Palmer, who dished out three helpers on the Black and Gold's closing three buckets, to take a 36-33 lead into the break.

After a Kayla Miller free throw tied the game, 36-36, Winder hit her fourth three of the contest to regain the lead for the Bulldogs, 39-36, with 8:09 to play in the third. Rucker extended the Bulldogs' run to six after finishing a layup to put the home team up, 45-39, with 3:35 to go in the quarter. The Blue Devils climbed back within one, 45-44, after Giocelis Reynoso hit a pair of free throws to increase the team's run to five. Palmer ended the visitors' spurt, hitting a three to put the Bulldogs up four, 48-44, with 0:34 to go in the period.

The Black and Gold kick off their three-game conference road trip, taking on Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday at 5 p.m.