SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite a long fourth-quarter break in the action due to an injury, the Bryant University women's basketball team remained strong through the final five minutes, capturing the 57-53 win over LIU Brooklyn on Monday night in Smithfield.

Sophomore Haley Connors (West Hartford, Conn.) opened the Bulldogs' (12-13, 7-7 NEC) scoring in the fourth, hitting her second three of the game, providing the Black and Gold with a 42-40 edge over the Blackbirds (4-21, 3-11). Following Aja Boyd's game-tying lay-in with 7:33 to play, back-to-back layups by senior Alex Klein (Waterloo, Ont.) gave Bryant a four-point lead, 46-42. Sophomore Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, Md.) assisted on the three-straight field goals, as she finished the game with a game-high 11 helpers.

Following an extended break at the 5:08 mark in the fourth, due to injury, both teams warmed back up, before beginning play again, as the Bulldogs led, 46-42. The Black and Gold were first to strike out of the interruption, as senior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) finished the dish from junior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) with 4:49 to go. After back-to-back layups by DeAngelique Waithe that pulled LIU within one, 48-47, the Bulldogs scored on two-straight possessions, including a three-point play by Klein with 2:37 left in the contest.

The Blackbirds couldn't be put away, as they were able to strike from downtown on consecutive possessions, narrowing the gap to two, 55-53, with 1:41 to play. Despite the visitors' effort down the stretch, the Bryant defense held strong and a Palmer jumper with eight seconds to go sealed the Bulldogs' 57-53 victory on Monday night.

Shanovia Dove led all scorers with 21 points off 7-for-16 from the floor, 3-for-9 from three and 4-for-4 from the line, while Klein headed Bryant with 17 points off 7-for-13 overal, and 3-for-5 from the chalk. The Bulldogs outshot the Blackbirds, 44.4 percent to 38.8 percent from the field, but the guests won the battle from three and the free-throw line.

LIU was also more dominant on the boards, ripping down four more rebounds than the Bulldogs, 34-30, including 12 on the offensive end. Dove led the Blackbirds with 11 boards, while Ashley topped Bryant's charts with nine. The Bulldogs limited themselves to 14 turnovers, while scoring 27 points off the Blackbirds' 24 turnovers. Bryant also dominated the paint, outscoring LIU, 42-12.

The Blackbirds hung around in the first quarter, tying the game on three occasions, including a Stylz Sanders' layup that drew the contest, 10-10, at the end of the period.

The Bulldogs opened the second on an 11-3 run, finding their largest lead of the half, 21-13, at the 5:59 mark. The streak included four-straight points from freshman Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.), including a left-handed layup off a behind-the-back pass from Palmer on a fast break. LIU closed the gap back to two, 21-19, after Dionne Coe and Dove hit back-to-back threes midway through the period. The visitors fought back, closing the quarter on an 8-2 run, taking a 29-26 advantage at the break.

After tying the game twice in the third, the Bulldogs regained the lead, 39-38, with 23 seconds to play in the period off a triple from Connors. The Bulldogs were able to regain the lead after holding the Blackbirds to nine points in the quarter. Bryant led entering the final 10 minutes and despite the break in action, the hosts were able to hang on in the final minutes to win, 57-53, on Monday night.

Bryant now turns its attention to Saturday's Play 4 Kay game, when the Bulldogs host Saint Francis U. at 1 p.m.