SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A potential game-winning three point basket by Gabrielle Washington with under five seconds remaining was just short, hitting the front rim, as the Sacred Heart University women's basketball team fell at first place Bryant, 71-67, on Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center. The Bulldogs had just taken the lead, 69-67, with two free throws by Tiersa Winder three seconds after Adaysha Williams had tied the game with 16 seconds left. After the Washington miss, Breanna Rucker made 2-2 from the line with two seconds on the clock to clinch the game. Hannah Kimmel led SHU with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Katie Shepard added a season-high 15 and Alissa Tarsi came off the bench to score 12 on 6-8 shooting. The Pioneers lose their second straight to drop to 8-9 and 3-4 in the Northeast Conference. Winder scored a game-high 27, while Rucker recorded a double double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to help the Bulldogs improve 13-5 and 6-1 in league play.
Trailing by as many as nine in the second half, Bryant tied the game for the first time when Jenniqua Baily went 1-2 from the charity stripe with just 2:55 remaining in the game. Washington quickly responded, burying a deep two-point jumper 13 seconds later to regain the lead, 63-61. After two free throws by Winder tied the game again, this time at 63, Washington again hit a jumper to go back ahead.
Bryant came right back again with two more foul shots, this time by Ivory Bailey, to knot the score once again. After a Sacred heart offensive foul, the Bulldogs took their first lead since the 2:20 mark of the first half when Morgan Olander's jumper fell with 59 seconds showing.
After both teams shot under 38 percent in the first half, they both eclipsed 46 percent shooting after the break. Sacred Heart shot 45.9 percent in the contest (28-61), including making 55.2 percent (16-29) after halftime. Bryant went 25-59 (42.4 percent) from the floor and was just under fifty percent, 14-30, in the second half. The Bulldogs went to the line and made nine more free throws, 14-5, than the Pioneers.
With game tied, 28-28, at halftime, the two teams trading baskets in the first 3:09 out of the locker room to remain knotted up, 32-32. Kimmel's three pointer with 16:24 showing gave Sacred Heart a lead it would hold until late in the half. It was the beginning of an, 11-2, flurry to give SHU its largest lead of the contest. Shepard hit two threes during the run, the second to put the Pioneers up, 43-34, with the 14:13 on the clock.
Bryant hung around, with the lead fluctuating between three and seven over the next over the next several minutes. The Bulldogs finally cut the deficit to one point, 52-51, after Rucker hit two free throws, capping a 7-2 run, with 7:13 left in the game. SHU responded with layups by Shepard and Williams, the latter with 6:14 showing to push the advantage back to five. Melissa Corraro made her only basket of the game, a three 16 seconds after Williams's layup, but Shepard again answered back with a three to make it, 59-54, at the 5:29 mark. After another Bulldog response, the lead would reach five one last time with William's layup with 4:48 left. The Bulldogs would score the next five points to tie the game with Baily's foul shot.
In addition to her season high 15 points, Shepard also had a game-high five assists and a season-high six rebounds. Washington finished with nine points, while Williams added eight. The only other Bryant player to score more than seven points was Olander. She finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. I. Bailey matched Shepard with five assists in addition to her seven points, and J. Bailey contributed six points and four assists.
The two teams went back and forth throughout the entire first half, with neither gaining an advantage of more than five. In total, there were six lead changes and four ties, including one at the halftime buzzer. Scoreless for the first 2:28 of action, Kimmel scored the first five points of the game to help the Pioneers jump out to its biggest lead of the half. They also went ahead, 8-3, after Washington made a three pointer with 14:57 left. From there the Bulldogs got back in it with seven straight to take a 10-8 lead after a trifecta just 1:53 later. Winder led the charge, scoring 13 of the first 15 Bulldog points.
After SHU answered with five straight to regain a three point advantage, the Bulldogs went on a 12-4 flurry to take their biggest lead of the game, 22-17, after Olander made a fast break layup. The Pioneers scored five of the next six though, including two baskets by Tarsi, to tie the game back up with 3:57 remaining. From there neither team went ahead more than two. Following a Maureen Leahy steal, Rucker knotted the game up, 28-28, with her ensuing fast break layup at the buzzer.
Sacred Heart hosts Fairleigh Dickinson at the William H. Pitt Center on Monday night at 7 pm.
