BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's basketball team dropped its Northeast Conference opener at home Saturday afternoon, as the Bryant Bulldogs led from start to finish in the Steinberg Wellness Center, taking the win, 77-69. 

The Bulldogs (8-4, 1-0 NEC) had the first two baskets of the game, and led wire to wire, despite the Blackbirds making many attempts to take the lead. With the loss, the Blackbirds are now 3-9 overall, 0-1 in the NEC. 

Bryant took an early lead in the game, but a traditional three-point play by junior Sophie Bhasin got LIU on the board. Bhasin converted the freer throw, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 4-3 at 17:39. Bryant continued to lead the Blackbirds, using four straight points from Morgan Olander to go up, 11-5. 

But the Blackbirds stayed in striking distance. Midway through the first half, senior Letava Whippy grabbed an offensive board, and took the ball end-to-end. After making the layup and drawing the foul, she converted the free throw, cutting Bryant's lead to 19-17. Just over a minute later, Bhasin drained a free throw to make it 21-20, and Bryant called a timeout. The Bulldogs would pull away once more, and once more, LIU came charging back. A Bhasin three and a layup by freshman Drew Winter had LIU within one point once more, 27-26 at 5:37. 

Bryant was able to stay ahead, however, and the Bulldogs eventually took a 37-32 advantage into the break. 

Coming out of halftime, the Bulldogs immediately got to work on widening their lead. A three-pointer at 19:19 gave Bryant a 40-32 lead. Three minutes later, the Bulldogs were able to open up the lead even more, using a 6-0 run to take a 48-35 lead with 15:25 to play. Sophomore Brianna Farris and senior Ashley Brown would combined to drain three three-pointers over the next three minutes, but the closest LIU would get was 53-46 at 12:48, on Brown's long trey. 

Three minutes later, junior Jolanna Ford had a fast break layup that put LIU within six, 57-51, forcing Bryant to call a timeout. The Bulldogs were able to keep the Blackbirds at arm's length, and a three pointer at 3:34, followed by two made free throws, and Bryant had its' widest lead of the day so far, 74-59. LIU wouldn't come close again, and the Bulldogs took the win by a final score of 79-66. 

Up next, the Blackbirds host Fairleigh Dickinson, in another doubleheader with the men, Monday, January 5 at 5 p.m. 

BLACKBIRD BITS 
• Junior Sophie Bhasin led LIU with 11 points and seven rebounds, along with two steals. 
• Sophomore Brianna Farris had 12 points in the loss, while sophomore Shanovia Dove had 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists for LIU. 
• Senior Letava Whippy returned after missing two games to an injury, and had seven points and three rebounds. 
• Bryant was led by 19 points each from Tiersa Winder and Breanna Rucker. Rucker also had a team-high 15 rebounds, while Morgan Olander also had a double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds, as well as five blocks.