February 18, 2009

BULLDOGS PULL OUT LAST-SECOND HEROICS TO TAKE 48-47 THRILLER OVER NJIT ON ROAD

Boxscore

NEWARK, N.J. - Down a point with 20.5 seconds left in the game, the Bryant University women's basketball team's success rested on one play, one shot. And as the Bulldogs charged down the court after a huge stop on the defensive end, they went to their clutch player, leading scorer Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.), to get it done on a deadline.

And with 12.3 seconds remaining, she did just that, putting back the layup under pressure to regain a 48-47 lead that would stick, as the Bulldogs pulled out a thriller on the road for their first winning streak of the season and second victory of the year over NJIT Wednesday night.

Bryant (9-16) took a 27-16 lead into the locker room at the half, but allowed the Highlanders (6-17) to muscle their way back in early in the second frame, as the home side took their first lead since the opening minutes with 10:16 left to play, 36-33.

O'Keefe and sophomore Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y.) each scored double-digits to pace the Bulldogs, with O'Keefe tying a game high with 13 points and Bennett recording 10. O'Keefe also gathered a game-high seven rebounds. Bryant shot 37.9 percent on the day to NJIT's 31.6 percent and outrebounded the home side, 39-37.

Coming out of the intermission, the Highlanders opened the half with a full court press, and the Bulldogs struggled to adjust in the opening minutes, allowing NJIT to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 31-24 five minutes in.

It wouldn't be long before a three-pointer from Jill Dickinson - her second of the frame - narrowed Bryant's lead to 33-29 with 12:33 still to play. The lead was cut to two on a fast break resulting from a Bulldog miscue, 33-31, just 59 seconds later, and Katie Piekeilski knotted the score with 10:42 to play.

At the 10:16 mark, the Highlanders took their first lead since the opening minutes on a three-point play from Ivana Seric, 36-33, as the Bulldog continued to be plagued by turnovers. They would have 19 on the day.

Down, 43-41 as the clock ticked under the four-minute mark, the Bulldogs were still looking to regain some momentum on an unfriendly court.

Bryant pulled within one, 45-44, with 3:07 showing on the clock off Shannon Wood's (Gorham, Maine) first points of the contest, a huge three-pointer from the top right side of the arc, and the Bulldogs were still down by one when they came up with a big stop with just 20.5 seconds to play. And with 12.3 on the clock, O'Keefe took the ball to the hole for the game-winning shot.

But the drama wasn't over. With just 4.7 seconds left, O'Keefe took her fourth foul of the game, sending Seric to the line the chance to win it. But when the sophomore missed them both and the Bulldogs got the rebound, NJIT's fate was sealed in the 48-47 last-second loss.

The Bulldogs started out the game with three-straight three-point attempts, missing on each to let the home side gain a 6-2 early edge. Bryant needed over three minutes to get its first bucket - which came from O'Keefe 3:13 in - but then fired off eight-straight points to take a 10-6 lead with 12:44 left in the half.

Up, 12-10 with 10 minutes to play in the opening frame, the Bulldogs held NJIT to over six minutes of scoreless basketball, knocking down seven points of their own for a 19-10 lead before allowing the Highlanders to get back on the board with 4:04 to play.

Turnovers plagued the Bulldogs early in the half, handing the ball over 11 times, but only resulted in two Highlander points, thanks to just 23.1 percent shooting from NJIT. That, coupled with the Bulldog miscues, kept the score low throughout the first 13 minutes before Bryant broke out and doubled up its lead over the home side, 24-12, on a Cara Johnson (Endicott, N.Y.) trey with 3:05 to play before the break. The lead forced head coach Margaret McKeon to burn her only 60-second timeout.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs capitalized on 10 Highlander miscues, converting the home team's turnovers into nine points, six of them on fast breaks.

Bryant shot 41.4 percent in the frame to enter halftime up, 27-16, led by seven points from O'Keefe.

NJIT was led on the day by 13 points apiece from Seric and Piekielski.

The Bulldogs now return to Smithfield, R.I. for their final home game, a Senior Day matchup against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m.