SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's basketball team came ready to play despite the inclement weather on Saturday afternoon, moving to 2-1 in NEC play after topping Mount St. Mary's, 78-62.  

For the first time this season, five Bulldogs finished with double-digits points, including four from the Bryant starting lineup. Sophomore Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) and senior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) paved the way with 15 points, as Connors hit a career-high five threes. Senior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) finished with 13 points, while junior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) scored a career-best 12 points off a 5-for-8 mark. Sophomore Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) added 11 points, stroking a three in the final minutes of play to reach double-digit points.

After leading by as much as five in the first quarter, the Mount scored back-to-back threes to take their first lead of the game, 12-11, with 2:41 to go in the opening period. Senior Chanel Ramcharran (Pickering, Ont.) responded back with one of her own from downtown to put Bryant up two, 14-12. Mount's Kayla Agentowicz drained two from behind the arc in the final two minutes of the quarter, as the visitors found a period-high four points, but a Connor's three pulled Bryant back within one, 20-19, to close out the quarter.

It was all Black and Gold to start the second, as Connors' back-to-back triples helped Bryant to a 14-0, as they took a 30-20 advantage. During the run the Mount went 0-for-11 from the field, as Bryant enjoyed 50 percent shooting from the floor. Mikal Johnson ended the Mount's 5:32 dry spell, as she stroked one from deep to cut their deficit to seven, 30-23, with 4:57 to play in the half. A 7-0 run helped pull the Mount back to within two, 32-30, with 2:35 to play in the second period, but the Bulldogs finished strong, hitting 5-of-6 from the line to lead, 39-30, at the break.

Olander was the first into double-digits, as she sank three of Bryant's four buckets to start the third quarter. With 4:12 to play in the period, Connors recorded a new career-high, drilling her fourth three of the game to give Bryant its largest lead, 53-40.

Caroline Hummel, Mount's leading scorer on the season, heated up at the end of the third and continued into the start of the second, scoring nine of the team's 14 points in their 14-5 run, as they pulled within four, 60-56, with 5:43 to play. Connors followed with her fifth three on the contest, before Ashley drilled the dribble pullup, tying her career-high 10 points, as Bryant took a 65-56 advantage with 4:32 to go. The Bulldogs went on to close out the fourth quarter on 13-7 run, as the hosts moved to 2-1 in NEC play, defeating the Mount, 78-62.

The Bulldogs finished with a season-high 78 points, winning by their largest margin, 16, after shooting a season-best 49.1 percent from the floor, while hitting 41.2 percent from three and 83.3 percent from the line. The Black and Gold outrebounded the Mount, 38-24, including 13 offensive boards. Bryant's bench was a difference maker, as they outscored the Mount's bench, 27-11. Bryant also translated the visitors' 21 turnovers, 10 of which were steals, into 22 points. The Bulldogs shared the ball, as eight players contributed to the teams' season-high 21 assists for the third time this season, led by Palmer's eight helpers.

The Bulldogs will look to carry this momentum with them into Teaneck, when they face Farleigh Dickinson on Monday at 7 p.m.