In part to shooting 72.4 percent in second half, Colonials move past Bulldogs, 72-59 in NEC Semifinal Wednesday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – In part to junior Anna Niki Stamolamprou's 19-point performance and the team's 72.4 percent shooting in the second half, Robert Morris defeated the Bryant University women's basketball team, 72-59, in the Northeast Conference Semifinals Wednesday night in Smithfield.

With a three-point Bryant advantage, 24-21, to begin the second half, both teams traded baskets to open the third, including a 3-pointer from sophomore Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) that was answered on the other end by Lou Mataly to pull RMU within one, 31-30, with 6:20 to play in the period. Bailey went on to finish the game with 13 points and five boards, including four on the offensive end.

Off a handoff from Megan Smith, Stamolamprou took it to the basket, making the lefty layup to give the Colonials back the lead, 32-31, with 5:45 to go in the third. Junior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) surpassed her personal best, recording her 19th point, as she completed the three-point play at the line to give Bryant a two-point advantage, 36-34, with 4:08 on the clock. The forward capped the game off with a career and game-high 27 points, hitting 10-of 17 (58.8 percent) from the floor and 7-of-7 at the line.

Senior Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) found double-digit points at the 2:56 mark in the third, finishing the dish from freshman Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) with a lay in to break the first tie of the second half, 38-36. Rucker ended the night with 12 points, making 6-of-10 from the field, while Palmer led both teams with seven assists.

In the last 1:28 of the quarter, the Colonials nailed two threes, helping them to a 46-43 advantage before heading into the final 10 minutes.

Stamolamprou extended the Colonials' run to seven, 50-43, scoring back-to-back buckets with 8:47 to go in the final quarter. Klein put a stop to the RMU scoring streak, driving baseline for the reverse layup to narrow the gap to five, 50-45, with 7:34 to play in the fourth. After being left alone on the press breaker, Ashley Ravelli hit nothing but net from the top of the key, extending Bryant's deficit to eight, 53-45, at the 7:29 mark. Bailey got hot in the fourth, recording double-digit points after two-straight buckets helped cut the RMU advantage to eight, 59-51, with 4:33 to go in the contest. RMU stayed on the attack, finding clutch shots down the stretch, including a jumper from Stamolamprou, as the shot clock expired, to give the Colonials a 62-53 lead with 3:31 to go. Stamolamprou stroked two from the line with just over a minute to play to extend the Colonials' lead to 13, 70-57, helping Robert Morris to seal the victory, 72-59.

The Bulldogs finished 36.5 percent (23-63) overall and 78.6 percent (11-14) from the charity stripe, but struggled all game from behind the arc, finishing with a 14.3 percent (2-14) mark. Six-of-eight Bulldogs grabbed boards, as Bryant won the battle on the glass, 35-33, led by Klein's nine rebounds. The Black and Gold coughed up a season-low 10 turnovers, while forcing Colonials into 11 of their own.

The Colonials saw four players finish with double-figures led by Stamolamprou with 19, hitting 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) after going 0-for-7 in the first half. Ravelli added a helpful 14 points and four steals, while Mataly and Smith each pitched in 10 points, respectively. RMU shot 54.7 percent (29-53) on the game with the help of a 21-for-29 mark (72.4 percent) in the second half. The Colonials were able to convert from downtown, stroking 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from deep.

The Bulldogs opened the game with a 4-0 lead, preventing the Colonials from scoring a single point in the first three and a half minutes of play , while forcing the visitors into three turnovers in that time. The Colonials got on the board at the 6:27 mark in the first, when Mataly rattled a three home, 4-3, before Palmer answered with one of her own to make it 7-3. RMU found its first lead of the game after Smith hit back-to-back buckets, including one from behind the arc to put the Bulldogs down, 11-9, with 2:46 to play in the opening period. Freshman Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) hit one-of-two at the line, sending the Bulldogs into the second quarter with a one-point deficit, 13-12.

The Colonials found their largest lead of the quarter, 18-14, when Nia Adams drilled home their fourth three of the game. Klein was on fire for the Bulldogs in the first half, hitting double digits at the 5:56 mark in the second when she finished lefty in the paint. Six of Klein's eight points in the period helped Bryant to a 10-point run. Bryant earned back the lead with 5:34 on the clock, when Connors finished the layup off the pass from Palmer to make it 20-18. The Colonials ended their three-minute dry spell after Shakema Dashiell hit one from downtown to narrow the gap to three, 24-21, with 3:27 left in the quarter. Both teams would come up empty in the remaining 3:27 of the first half, resulting in a Bryant three-point advantage at the break.

The Colonials went on to find the lead with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter and didn't give it up through the fourth, taking the NEC Semifinal game from Bryant for the third-straight season, 72-59.