FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The fourth-seeded Bryant University women's basketball team made history Wednesday night, booking a ticket to its first-ever NEC Championship after defeating second-seeded Sacred Heart, 75-68.

The Bulldogs (18-13, 11-7 NEC) will now face top-seeded Robert Morris on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in Moon Township, Pa. RMU defeated sixth-seeded Central Connecticut, 70-62, in Wednesday's other semifinal. Sunday's game will be broadcasted live on ESPNU.

In Fairfield, the Bulldogs were electric in the fourth quarter, knocking down three-straight triples, opening a 14-point lead, 62-48, with 3:05 to go in the game. Sophomore Haley Connors (West Hartford, Mass.) hit two of the three, as she finished the game with a perfect 5-for-5 mark from three-point land. The Conn.-native tied her career-best 17 points, finishing 6-for-7 overall. Senior Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) hit the other bucket from behind the arc, as she went 2-for-3 from deep, totaling 12 points.

The Pioneers (17-14, 13-5) did not go quietly, chipping the Bulldogs' 14-point lead to three, 67-64, with 37 seconds to play. Senior NEC Third Teamer Adaysha Williams finished with a career-high 24 points, scoring 10 in the final 44 seconds alone. The hosts drained five fourth-quarters threes from Williams, NEC First Teamer Hannah Kimmel, Erin Storck and Shelby Hickey. Despite the momentum swing down the stretch, the Bulldogs held the lead, managing the game down to the end, as they went 10-for-14 from the line in the final minute.

Four Bulldogs finished in double figures, headed by senior Alex Klein's (Waterloo, Ont.) 23 points. The captain went 6-for-11 from the floor and 11-for-12 from the line. Connors totaled 17, Olander 12 and junior Naomi Ashley (Hamilton, Ont.) earned her first-career double off 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Ashley also led the team with five assists and two steals.

The Black and Gold outrebounded the Pioneers, 41-32, restricting the hosts to only three second-chance points. Bryant's bench was a key factor in the contest, outscoring the Pioneers', 23-10. The Bulldogs limited themselves to their season-low 13 turnovers in which SHU translated into only one point.

Bryant shot 44.9 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from three and 75.0 percent from the line. The Bulldogs totaled 50 second-half points, marking the first time since playing Robert Morris in January of 2015. The high scoring was a direct correlation to the team's hot shooting in the second half, as they went 48.4 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent from three.

After a cold start in the first, the Bulldogs came out roaring in the second, outscoring the Pioneers, 18-12, hitting 8-of-12 from the floor. The Black and Gold shook the nerves with the help of key buckets from Olander and Connors in the first half. Olander opened with five-straight points, including a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to start Bryant off with a 5-0 lead. With 1:18 to play in the first period, Connors hit her first of two threes in the opening half.

Following a 6-0 run, the Pioneers found their first lead of the game, 10-9, off a three-point play from Katherine Haines. Haines went on to finish the game with 12 points and nine rebounds. Connors countered Kelcey Castro's three, but Kimmel came down and drilled one of her own for her first points of the game, elevating the Pioneers to a 16-14 lead with 7:29 to play in the second.

The Bulldogs garnered the momentum in the remainder of the second, outscoring the Pioneers, 11-3. The Black and Gold earned their advantage in part to four different scorers. Ashley started the 8-0 streak with a strong take to the basket, finishing lefty through the contact, while Connors tacked on two more in transition. With seconds to go in the half, Ashley found Klein for the lay-in, but after review it was ruled in after time expired, and the Bulldogs enjoyed a 25-19 lead at the break.

Out of the gate, the Pioneers came out blazing, outscoring the Bulldogs, 15-7, as Williams scored 10 points in part of two and-ones in transition. The Pioneers' offensive efforts erased a game-high seven-point lead by the Bulldogs, as Williams' second three-point play from the line gave the hosts a 29-27 lead with 6:25 to play in the third. The Bulldogs and Pioneers traded baskets through the back end of the third quarter, forcing four ties. Connors stroked her third triple of the game to give Bryant a four-point edge, before freshman Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, W. Va.) went 2-for-2 from the line, following a SHU technical foul, giving Bryant a 47-44 advantage at the end of the period.

After Ashley made a layup in transition off a Pioneers' turnover to start the fourth quarter, both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes. The final slate then took a major turn as the Bulldogs and Pioneers combined for eight threes in the final period, including five in the final five minutes. The Bulldogs' 14-advantage was widdled away to three, but the Bulldogs finished 71.4 percent from the line, helping to seal their first-ever NEC Semifinal victory, 75-68, over Sacred Heart.

The Bulldogs get a chance at redemption on Sunday when they face a Colonials team that has eliminated them from the postseason in each of the last three seasons. Bryant split with the Colonials this season, but remain winless at the Sewall Center. Head coach Mary Burke will be making her first league title game appearance since guiding the Bulldogs to the 2008 NE-10 title game in their final year at the Division II level.