SMITHFIELD — It could be a rematch at UMBC. It could be a more regional trip to Maine or Binghamton.
Regardless, it looks like the road will be calling for Bryant in the upcoming women’s basketball version of the America East tournament.
The Bulldogs entered this week two wins away from hosting a quarterfinal for the third straight year, a chance that went by the boards on a long Thursday night. The Retrievers finally took the lead for keeps with 1:42 left in double overtime and didn’t let go.
Jade Tillman’s pair of free throws helped set the visitors on course for a hard-earned victory. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County grinded to a 65-59 triumph at Chace Athletic Center on Feb. 26, completing a sweep of the season series and dropping Bryant outside the top four in the conference standings.
Mia Mancini’s tying 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left in the first overtime wound up a footnote, as the Bulldogs could not carry that energy into the second additional five-minute period. They were a combined 2-for-14 from the floor in the fourth quarter and second overtime, offensive struggles that proved too difficult to conquer.
“We just did some uncharacteristic things,” Bryant head coach Lynne-Ann Kokoski said. “We fouled at the end of the shot clock — j58 ust things that shot us in the foot.”
Bryant has one game left at the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday. Both are now a game behind the Retrievers, and UMBC hosts struggling UMass Lowell on that same afternoon in Baltimore. It’s hard to imagine the Retrievers opening the door while currently clinging to the No. 4 seed in the field.
It could have been the Bulldogs in that spot with a win here. They held a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter and had multiple chances to tie in the second overtime. Mimi Rubino’s offensive foul at the rim and an Izzy Adams foul with 7.9 seconds left both proved painful — Dagny Slowmack followed that second mistake with a pair of deciding free throws to make it a two-possession game.
“They dialed it up,” Kokoski said. “They were denying our scorers a little bit more.”
Bryant seemed to find a critical momentum swing in the first overtime after Rubino forced a jump ball that gave her team possession with 11.4 seconds left. Mancini dribbled up the left side and all the way across the floor before pulling up from the opposite wing. Her jumper was made after just a 1-for-6 start from deep and it pushed the Bulldogs into a second overtime knotted at 57-57.
“You make big shots like that, you want that to be your energy, your spark, to kind of keep you going,” Kokoski said. “Unfortunately, we had a couple of shots that just rimmed out. Again, tough luck.”
Bryant held a 42-32 lead entering the fourth quarter but managed just a four-point play from Rubino over the next 10 minutes. Carmen Yanez knocked home a pair of free throws with 1:09 left to tie the game at 46-46 and the Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize on a Nia Scott steal with 19.9 seconds to play. Maranda Nyborg’s spinning left-handed layup along the left block rolled across the front rim and the two teams were headed for bonus basketball.
Rubino seemed capable of pushing Bryant (18-10, 8-7 America East) to the finish line all by herself with 18 of her career-high 22 points after halftime. She fired home 10 straight to end the third quarter, including a 3-pointer from the left corner that gave the Bulldogs their largest lead. Rubino was 7-for-9 from the field and connected on all but one of her four 3-point attempts after the break.
“One of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached,” Kokoski said. “Most competitive kid I’ve ever coached. She has a will to win.”
UMBC (14-13, 9-6) didn’t lead from the middle of the second quarter until the first overtime, using some tighter defense and a parade to the foul line to its advantage. Bryant shot just 41.9% and committed 14 of its 22 turnovers after the opening half. The Retrievers were 20-for-24 from the stripe over the final 30 minutes and put three in double figures, including a team-high 18 points from Tillman.
“Super athletic team,” Kokoski said. “They’ve got a lot of one-versus-one players that you’ve got to be able to guard.”
The Bulldogs close with a 4:30 p.m. tip against the Highlanders, and the winner are likely to wind up the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament field. NJIT raced to a 78-65 victory at Bryant in January and was on a three-game winning streak until a lopsided loss at conference leader Vermont. The Bulldogs could wind up with another chance at a first program win over UMBC — they’ve now lost all eight meetings by single digits.
“You’ve just got to win basketball games in March regardless of if you’re home or if it’s on the road,” Kokoski said. “You’ve got to show up in March.”
UMBC (59): Alaina Williams 3-7 2-3 8, Jade Tillman 5-12 7-7 18, Tiara Bellamy 3-9 0-0 6, Heidi Williams 2-10 1-2 5, Carmen Yanez 2-4 8-8 14, Delaney Yarborough 5-8 2-6 12, Kennedy Austin 0-2 0-0 0, Gabby Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Dagny Slomack 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 20-53 22-28 65.
BRYANT (65): Maranda Nyborg 6-14 3-4 15, Martina Boba 2-3 0-0 4, Nia Scott 2-6 0-1 4, Mia Mancini 4-14 1-2 11, Mimi Rubino 9-15 1-1 22, Olivia Fernandez 0-0 0-0 0, Izzy Adams 1-4 0-0 2, Rose Nelson 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 24-56 6-10 59.
Halftime — B, 28-22. End of regulation — 46-46. End of first overtime — 57-57. 3-point FG — U 3-11 (Tillman 1-3, Bellamy 0-1, H. Williams 0-2, Yanez 2-3, Austin 0-1, Slomack 0-1), B 5-14 (Mancini 2-8, Rubino 3-6). Rebounds — U 31 (Tillman 7), B 40 (Scott 8). Assists — U 12 (Yanez 7), B 13 (Nyborg 3, Boba 3). Turnovers — U 13 (Yanez 4), B 22 (Mancini 5). Blocked shots — U 2 (A. Williams 1, Slomack 1), B 2 (Nyborg 1, Scott 1). Steals — U 9 (A. Williams 3), B 7 (Scott 3). Attendance — 525.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant women’s basketball loses in double overtime to UMBC, 65-59
