SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team staged a late rally in the Chace Athletic Center Monday night, forcing Bryant to overtime, but the Northeast Conference-leading Bulldogs persevered in the extra period, winning the game, 88-85. Four Blackbirds scored in double-digits in the loss, led by junior Sophie Bhasin, who scored 24 points.

Bryant started the game with a quick 5-0 lead, and the Bulldogs led for the first three minutes of play. Sophomore Brianna Farris gave the Blackbirds their first lead of the game at 16:42, when she drained a three from the left corner to make it 9-7.

Two minutes later, junior Jolanna Ford had a layup, and Farris snagged a steal on Bryant's next time down the court. Junior Shanice Vaughan converted the layup, giving the Blackbirds a 16-11 advantage, and forcing Bryant to call a timeout. A three-pointer from Bhasin at 12:32 widened LIU's lead to six points, 19-13, and LIU would stay ahead from there, as the two teams traded baskets back and forth.

The Bulldogs were able to come back and tie the game by making 10 straight free throws from 4:35 to 1:43, putting the score at 36-36. The Blackbirds registered back-to-back points from sophomore Shanovia Dove and freshman DeAngelique Waithe to widen the lead back up to four points, but a layup and two more free throws for the Bulldogs ended the first half with the two teams knotted at 40.

LIU had another sharp-shooting first half, as the Blackbirds shot 55.2% from the field, including 66.7% from long distance. Bryant, meanwhile, was 1-for-9 from behind the arc, but a near-perfect 93.8% from the free throw line.

A different Bulldogs' squad came out of the locker room after the break, starting the second half on an 8-0 run to take control of the game, 48-40 at 17:24. The Blackbirds closed the lead to four points with layups from senior Letava Whippy and Bhasin, but the Bulldogs answered with a 14-4 run over the next five minutes, eventually taking a 62-48 lead over LIU with 11:37 to play.

LIU stayed in it, despite Bryant leading by double-digits for most of the second half. With the clock winding down, the Blackbirds went on a 13-0 run retake the lead with just under two minutes left to play. Whippy's layup at 4:26 sparked the run for LIU, and freshman DeAngelique Waithe had huge two put-back layups to keep the run going. LIU capped the run with a long three from Farris at 1:45 that gave the Blackbirds a 75-74 lead. Bryant used a free throw to tie the game back up at 75-75 with 58 seconds on the clock. Neither team would score in the final seconds of the half, and the two teams went to overtime.

In overtime, the two teams traded baskets, staying tied for four minutes of play. But with just over a minute left in the period, a technical foul by the Blackbirds gave Bryant two free throws and the ball back. The Bulldogs used the momentum to take the lead for good and finish the game, taking the win, 88-85.

With the loss, LIU is now 6-13 overall, 3-5 in the NEC, while Bryant improves to 14-5, 7-1 in the NEC.

BLACKBIRD BITS
• The Blackbirds had four players score in double-digits for just the second time this season. Sophie Bhasin led all players with 24 points.
• Sophomore Brianna Farris had 15 points in the loss, while Shanice Vaughan had ten points, four rebounds and four assists.
• Freshman DeAngelique Waithe had a career-high 14 points, going 7-for-11 from the field. She also led the team with eight rebounds, six of which were offensive.
• LIU shot 52.9 percent from the field in the loss, including 54 points in the paint.
• Bryant also had four players score in double figures, led by Breanna Rucker, who had 24 points and 17 rebounds. Tiersa Winder added 20 points, Morgan Olander had 19 points, and Ivory Bailey had 15. Only two other Bulldogs scored in the win.
• Up next, the Blackbirds take part in the annual Battle for Brooklyn at St. Francis Brooklyn, Saturday, January 31 at 1 p.m.