Playoff bound! Bulldogs enter NEC Tournament as No. 2 seed

By: Michael Jarosz
Special to BryantBulldogs.com  

For the second-straight season, the Bryant University women's basketball team enters the Northeast Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed, and the Bulldogs will host their first match of the playoffs Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. against seventh-seeded LIU Brooklyn.

After a start to the year that saw the Bulldogs take on a challenging non-league slate, going 3-8 in games through the season's first two months, Bryant turned up the heat and turned things around in a big way with the start of 2016.

"We knew that the non-conference portion of our season was good experience for us," said senior guard Tiersa Winder. "We played some high-caliber teams this year, and it was good to get out there and play some tougher opponents."

From the very start of play against the Northeast Conference, though, the Bulldogs went on a wild, 10-game winning streak that stretched through the month of January. It was an amazing run that led to a postseason spot for the Black and Gold, but what changed for that to happen?

"We came together as a team and talked to the coaches and to each other," said senior center Maureen Leahy. "We all started trusting each other and really tried to fix our attitudes. We knew it was that time of the season to come together."

And come together they did. Starting with a 70-56 win over Central Connecticut on Jan. 2, the Bulldogs ripped off 10-straight victories, all against NEC opponents, stretching into the opening of February action. It was a run that put them in prime position for their upcoming postseason run.

And while the team ended up splitting the remaining eight conference matches to post a 14-4 league record at the conclusion of the regular season, it was enough to clinch the second-place spot in the tournament, earning postseason hosting rights for the third-consecutive year.

"We had four losses, but at the same time, I feel like we learned so much from those losses, and that is going to pay off during the tournament," said senior forward Breanna Rucker. "We are going to know the mindset we have to be in as a team."

The Bulldogs will now look to combine the experience they gained through their non-conference schedule with the success they have found in league action to go deeper into the playoffs than the program ever has since making the move to Division I.

"It's those early season games that give you time to figure out your role as a team," said Leahy.

With the same conference record as last season, the Bulldogs are hoping to get to the finals of the Northeast Conference Tournament for the first time, after losing in the semifinals last season to a tough Robert Morris side.

With the start of the road to the finals nearly at hand, the Bulldogs are prepared to prove what they know they can do – win it all.