Comeback bid falls short as LIU Brooklyn tops Bryant on Friday night

BROOKLYN, N.Y.  – The Bulldogs scored 42 second-half points and sophomore Sydney Holloway had a double-double, but the Bryant University women's basketball team fell to the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, 69-61, at the Steinberg Wellness Center on Friday night in Brooklyn.

GAME INFORMATION

LIU Brooklyn 69, Bryant 61

Records: Bryant 9-19 (8-9 NEC), LIU Brooklyn 11-17 (7-10 NEC)
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

KEY MOMENTS

• After the Bulldogs went on a 16-3 run in the fourth quarter, LIU Brooklyn's Deangelique Waithe scored four-straight points to give the Blackbirds a nine-point advantage.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bryant scored just four points in the opening frame and trailed LIU, 21-4, heading into the second quarter.
• The Bulldogs were able to bounce back in the second, thanks in part to five points from junior Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) and four from freshman Brooke Bjelko (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) in the frame.
• The Black and Gold mounted a comeback effort in the third quarter, outscoring the Blackbirds 18-11 in the quarter. After just 2 first-half points, Holloway posted up six points and six rebounds in the third to help the Bulldogs battle back.
• Thanks to eight points from sophomore Stephanie Lesko (Rumson, N.J.), the Bulldogs outscored LIU Brooklyn, 24-16, in the fourth quarter. Down as many as 18 in the quarter, Bryant brought the game back to within five after Holloway hit a jump shot with 5:09 remaining in the game.

STATS

• Holloway finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals. She was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
• Lesko finished with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor. She connected on a buzzer-beating jumper to end the third quarter.
• Redshirt junior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) finished with 10 points, four rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
• Junior Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) had a game-high six assists for the Bulldogs.

GAME NOTES

• Holloway recorded her 15th double-double of the season versus the Blackbirds.
• With her 18 points, Holloway achieved 750 career points. She currently sits at 758 points, 40 shy of Alex Klein's mark of 798, which is 10th-best in the Division I era.
• Lesko reached double-figures in scoring for the fourth time this season.
• Bryant moves to 8-9 in NEC play and are tied with St. Francis Brooklyn and Sacred Heart in the league standings.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs stay in the Big Apple, taking on St. Francis Brooklyn on Sunday in a 1 p.m. tip-off. With a win, Bryant will earn a third-place seed in the NEC Tournament which begins Wednesday.