NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – Both Bryant University women's basketball and Central Connecticut State entered Saturday's game off two-straight losses, but it was the Blue Devils that eluded the losing streak in the final half-second of the game, winning, 53-52, in New Britain.

After giving up a nine-point halftime lead, a pair of free throws by sophomore Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) pulled the Bulldogs (9-11, 4-5 NEC) within one of the Blue Devils (8-12, 7-2), 51-50, in the  fourth. The next trip down Palmer pushed in transition, drawing the foul as she took it to the basket. The point guard's made buckets from the line gave the Bulldogs back the lead, 52-51, with 18 seconds to go.

Andi Lydon followed with a near-impossible shot over senior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) to earn the lead back for Central, 53-52, with 6.5 seconds to go. The Bulldogs had a foul to give, when junior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) forced a CCSU turnover with 0.5 seconds left. In their last ditch effort, the Bulldogs inbounded the ball to Olander, who was unable to get the three-point attempt off in time, as Bryant fell, 53-52.

Despite outscoring the Blue Devils in three quarters, the Bulldogs were dominated in the third, 24-11, giving way to close game in the fourth. The Black and Gold shot 35.3 percent from the floor, 9.1 percent from three and 75.0 percent from the line. The Blue Devils finished 33.8 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from behind the arc and 37.5 percent from the charity stripe. Bryant lost the battle on the boards, 41-38, giving up 16 on the offensive glass. Bryant tied their season-low 13 turnovers in which CCSU scored 12 points off, while the Blue Devils turned the ball over on 12 occasions, amounting to six points for the Bulldogs.

Olander led the Bulldogs in scoring for the second time this season, scoring 13 points off 6-for-11 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the line. The senior also led Bryant with nine rebounds, all of which came on the defensive glass. Olander was the only Bulldog in double figures, as was Lydon for the Blue Devils, who finished with a game-high 23 points off 9-for-17 from the field, 3-for-7 from deep and 2-for-5 from the line.

The Bulldogs opened the game on a 6-0 run, as Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) got off to a hot start, scoring six points in the opening ten minutes of play. Despite the Blue Devils' 6-0 responding run, the Black and Gold led 16-14 at the end of the first.

Bryant opened the second on an 8-0 scoring spree, as Olander scored six points in two and a half minutes, helping the Bulldogs to a ten-point advantage, 24-14, midway through the period. The Connecticut native was the first into double-figures, finishing the first half with 10 points and five rebounds. The Bulldogs entered the break after shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, as the Blue Devils shot 26.5 percent.

CCSU opened the third on a 15-2 run, taking its first lead of the game at the 6:34 mark in the quarter, 36-32. The Bulldogs came out flat, going 1-for-8 in the first five minutes of the second half, while the Blue Devils connected on 6-of-12. The Black and Gold had ripped down five more rebounds than the Blue Devils in the first half, but the hosts took over the battle, grabbing 10 in the opening half of the third, including seven on the offensive glass. After falling behind by six points, the Bulldogs fought back to within four, 45-41, at the end of the third.

Both teams went scoreless for the first 4:45 of the fourth quarter until Giocelis Reynoso finished the pick-and-roll play from Kiana Patterson. On the following Blue Devils' possession, Aleah Epps' three with 4:41 to play gave CCSU its largest lead of the game, 50-43. Bryant was able to amount a comeback with minutes to play, but Lyndon's shot proved to be the game-winner, as Central moved to 7-2 in conference play, following its 53-52 win over Bryant.

The Bulldogs return to Smithfield to host Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday at 7 p.m.