SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite yet another double double from senior forward Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.), the Bryant women's basketball team dropped a tough one, 84-78, Monday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

Facing an 11-point deficit with under ninety seconds to play, the Bulldogs (13-12, 8-6 Northeast Conference) cut the Mountaineers (15-11, 10-4 NEC) edge to just four points with 20 ticks left, thanks to sharp outside shooting from senior Courtney Schissler (Branford, Conn.) and sophomore Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.). However, clutch shooting from the free throw line by The Mount secured the narrow victory, making it five in-a-row for the visitors.

Ankoma-Mensa put up her 10th double dip of the year, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high tying six steals in 40 minutes of play. Schissler also put up 24, including 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, while Winder posted a career-best 16 points (4-of-6 from deep) and five rebounds off the bench. Senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) rounded out the Bryant double-figure scorers with 10 points and a career-tying eight helpers.

All-League selection Sydney Henderson led Mount St. Mary's with 20 points and five boards, while Jessie Kaufman (16 points, nine rebounds), Ashley Christie (16 points, seven assists), Jacqueline Brewer (11 points) and Rachel Mathews (11 points) all hit double digits in the balanced victory.

Mount shot an even 50 percent through the entirety of the contest, including 11-of-21 from long range (52.4 percent), and 19-of-25 from the free throw line (76 percent). Bryant shot just 42 percent from the field and missed 18 free throws, going 21-of-37 for the game (59 percent).

After knotting the game, 12-12, at the 13:06 mark on Schissler layup, the Bulldogs then allowed The Mount a 16-3 run that lasted over six minutes, opening up a 28-15 lead at the under-eight media break.

The Mountaineers continued their hot shooting (9-of-15 from deep) through the final buzzer of the first half to take a 47-29 lead into the locker room thanks to 14 points by Kaufman and seven assists from Christie. Ankoma-Mensa paced Bryant with 13 points and four rebounds while Schissler added nine in 14 minutes.

The second half brought on foul trouble for Mount St. Mary's who were whistled for eight fouls before the under-16 media break, however the visitors continued to maintain their solid edge, 51-35. The Black and Gold went on to open a 10-2 run to cut the lead down to 10 points, 55-44, with just over 12 minutes to play.

The two teams continued traded buckets back-and-forth but Mount still maintained its 10-point edge, until a Winder trifecta brought Bryant within seven, 62-55, with just over nine minutes remaining in the contest. Despite the strong push by Bryant, The Mount weathered the storm behind some strong play by Henderson, boosting the lead back to 12 points, 74-62, at the final media break of the game.

Looking ahead, Bryant will host NEC-leading Robert Morris Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in game 1 of a Bryant basketball doubleheader. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN3.

For all the latest news on the Bryant University women's basketball team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.