Bulldogs win NEC Quarterfinal, take down Blackbirds, 70-56

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After leading by only three halfway through the fourth, the Bryant University women's basketball team scored 11-unanswered points to seal the, 70-56, Northeast Conference Quarterfinal  over LIU Brooklyn, Sunday afternoon in Smithfield.

The Blackbirds continued to knock on the door in the fourth, pulling within three, 59-56, after junior Shanovia Dove hit her fourth bucket from behind the arc at the 4:35 mark. The LIU Brooklyn 3-pointer marked the last field goal, as the Bulldogs went on an 11-0 run to take the NEC Quarterfinal, 70-56.

Behind senior Breanna Rucker's (Cincinnati, Ohio) 20th double-double of the season, off 24 points and 11 rebounds, including 10 points in the final quarter, the Bulldogs pulled away for the win. Rucker finished 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the floor. Freshman Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) scored a career-high 16 points, hitting 3-of-5 from downtown, while dishing out six assists. Sophomore Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) contributed 12 points and six rebounds, while tallying a career and game-high eight assists.

LIU Brooklyn was led offensively by Dove, who finished with a game-high 28 points, finishing 9-for-19 (47.3 percent) overall, 4-for-11 (36.3 percent) and 6-for-6 from the line. Senior Jolanna Ford grabbed 10 rebounds for the Blackbirds, but the Bulldogs won the battle on the glass, 38-29, grabbing 14 offensive boards.

After being held scoreless for the opening four minutes, Palmer hit a three to pull the Bulldogs within two, 5-3. The rookie followed it up with a pass to junior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) in transition to tie the contest, 5-5, with 5:25 to play in the first. After grabbing the defensive board, junior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) received the ball back in transition at the top of the key, slotting the three to pull the Bulldogs ahead, 10-7, with 3:37 on the clock. The Blackbirds were able to regain the lead, 17-13, stringing together three-unanswered baskets to end the quarter.

The Blackbirds continued their 10-point run in the second, finding a six-point lead, 19-13, after senior Shanice Vaughan finished the layup with 9:21 to go in the half. At the 7:26 mark, Dove reached double digits (12), nailing the three to put the visitors up, 22-16.

The Black and Gold mounted their comeback in the second, taking the lead back midway through the second after a nine-point run. Palmer and Bailey hit back-to-back threes, tying the game, 22-22, at the 5:58 mark in period. The Bulldogs next trip down the floor put the home team up three, 25-22, after Bailey finished the layup and three-point play at the line with 5:36 to go before the break.

Bryant found their first double-digit margin, 37-26, scoring nine-unanswered points for the second time in the quarter. Palmer hit Klein with her fourth assist, as the forward finished the layup to kick start the run at the 4:08 mark in the second. Freshman Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) found her first points of the contest, stroking one from downtown to extend Bryant's lead to nine, 35-26. A pair of free throws by Rucker pushed the Bulldogs' advantage to 11, ending the half 37-26.

At the 7:09 mark in the third, another Dove 3-pointer cut the Blackbirds deficit back to single digits, 42-33. Connors found her second three of the day, collecting the crosscourt pass from senior Maureen Leahy (Springfield, Pa.) and drilling the three to put Bryant on top, 51-43, with 0:56 remaining in the period. LIU Brooklyn strung together series of small runs in the third to help pull within five, 51-46, heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs would hold onto the lead through the forth, defeating the Blackbirds, 70-56. Bryant now looks to the NEC Semifinals, when it hosts No. 3 Robert Morris in the Chace Athletic Center at 7 p.m.

"For us to get to the promise land, it is only fitting that we have to go through Robert Morris since we have some history against them in the postseason, said head coach Mary Burke. "They are a very talented bunch who will come into our place ready to play, not only because of the veteran players they have but also because Coach Sal Buscaglia is retiring after the year. They have another incentive to make a deep push to the tournament final. We will do what we have done all year which is give it our best effort. I'm sure we have a lot of memories from the past against Robert Morris that we can use as motivation to get us prepared both mentally and physically for Wednesday."