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Smithfield, RI – With Wagner leading 73-68 and just 1:33 to play, Bryant scored the next five points to tie the game at 73 before a Naomi Ashley steal set up the game-winner as the Seahawks dropped a heartbreaking, 76-73, decision to the Bulldogs in the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season finale on Thursday evening.
With the loss, Wagner, who finishes at 10-19 overall and 8-10 in league play, will be the No. 7 seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament, and travel to No. 2 seed, Sacred Heart on Monday, March 11 at 6:00 pm. Bryant, who moved to 11-18 and 9-9 in league play, will be the No. 5 seed in the tournament as the Bulldogs will travel to No. 4 seed, Saint Francis U, who are the defending league champions.
2019 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Redshirt sophomore
Taylah Simmons and redshirt junior guard
Janelle Mullen led the way for the visitors, as both eclipsed the 20-point plateau. For Simmons, she finished with a game-high 25 points, 11 coming in the third quarter. Simmons also pulled down a team-leading, 12 rebounds, for her seventh double-double of the season and ninth of her career. Tonight's outing also marked the seventh time this season that she has scored at least 20 points and the 34th career time she has eclipsed double-figures.
Mullen, who netted 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, which included four made three-pointers, scored ten of her 20 points in the first quarter. For the Ozone Park, NY native, she reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season and now has back-to-back games of at least 20 points (21 vs. Saint Francis U, 3/4/19). Mullen also gave an all-out defensive effort, swiping a career-high five steals while adding a block in her 39 minutes of action.
The Bulldogs had three players net in double figures, led by Sydney Holloway's team-high 20 point performance. Masey Zegarowski and Haley Connors each added 14 points on a combined 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 marksmanship from three-point range. Brooke Bjelko corralled ten rebounds.
The visiting Seahawks jumped out to an 11-4 lead after the Bulldogs scored the opening basket of the contest. Wagner was firing on all cylinders early on, converting on 5-of-7 during this three minute span. Bryant was able to cut the lead to six, 11-8 following a pair of made free-throws from Kierra Palmer, but redshirt sophomore,
Joellen How, was able to hit a three-pointer that led to Wagner outscoring Bryant, 13-6, over the final 3:46 in taking a 24-14 first quarter lead.
The Green & White opened the second quarter with a bucket from freshman,
Enas Nigatu, which made it 26-14 before the Bulldogs made back-to-back baskets in trialing 26-19 before Mullen hit a three-pointer that bumped the lead back to nine, 28-19. The home team outscored the Seahawks, 11-10, over a five-minute stretch but the Seahawks were able to hold on to an eight-point advantage, 38-30, entering the halftime break.
Sophomore
Alayshia Dailey was able to drive the entire length of the floor in hitting a contested layup, propelling the Seahawks to a 40-30 lead to start the third quarter but Bryant responded by scoring nine of the next 13 points in trimming the deficit to five, 44-39, with 6:45 remaining in the period.
Mullen was once again able to lift her team, drilling another three-pointer to halt the Bulldogs momentum for the time being. For the remainder of the third quarter, Bryant outscored Wagner, 16-9, as the Seahawk lead was down to one, 56-55, entering the fourth quarter.
To start the frame, both teams traded the lead at 57-56, in favor of Bryant on a Holloway layup before Simmons answered right back with a layup of her own to retake the lead, 58-57. Sophomore
Khaleah Edwards was able to create slight separation as the Seahawks led 60-57 at the 8:08 mark.
Bryant, once again, trimmed the Seahawk lead to a single possession, 60-59, following two made free throws by Holloway. Nigatu's layup in the paint off the feed from Simmons moved Wagner ahead, 62-59. Mullen was able to poke the ball away, get fouled and hit both attempts that gave the visitors a 64-59 lead with 6:15 showing on the game clock. Simmons then added her 21st point that extended the lead to 66-59.
Bjelko started and ended Bryant's late run. Over the next 5:19, the Bulldogs evened the contest at 73-73 on the heels of a 14-7 run, hitting on 60.0 percent of their shots while limiting Wagner to just 3-of-9 over that duration. Bjelko's layup forced Wagner to burn its final timeout.
With 15 seconds left, Wagner, who inbounded closer to Bryant's bench, was able to get the ball in but the pressure applied by Ashley forced the Seahawk turnover. She then sprinted for the basket and was fouled before her shot rattled in, sending the Bulldog bench into a frenzy. Ashley converted on the traditional three-point play, giving Bryant the 76-73 lead.
Wagner, who needed to go the length of the floor, had a chance for the game-tying shot, as Simmons hoisted one from the top-of-the-key that went wide of the net as Bryant held on for the win.
For the game, Wagner shot 43.9 percent from the field while hitting on 47.1 percent from three-point range. The Seahawks hit on 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Bryant, who converted at a 44.4 percent clip from the floor and 43.8 percent from deep, hit on 13 of its 16 attempts from the line, which included a 5-of-6 showing in the third quarter.
Both teams netted 34 points from inside-the-paint while the Seahawks were outrebounded, 43-31, and 18-12 on the offensive end. Wagner forced 19 Bryant turnovers, turning those into 23 points while the Bulldogs were able to score 19 points on 15 Seahawk mishap, which included the eventual game-winner.
The 2019 NEC quarterfinals will all be streamed on NEC Front Row. The semifinals will be broadcasted on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row while the championship game, set for Sunday, March 17, will be televised in front of a national audience on ESPNU.
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Heather Jacobs:
