SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite scoring a season-low 18 points in the first half, the Bryant University women's basketball team knocked off Mount St. Mary's, 55-53, Saturday evening in Emmitsburg, Md., clinching a spot in the 2015 Northeast Conference Tournament.

The Bulldogs (17-7, 10-3 Northeast Conference) rode a 14-0 run at the beginning of the second half to clinch their third-straight trip to the NEC Tournament, while the Mountaineers (7-17, 5-8 NEC) drop their sixth-straight league contest. Bryant's 17th regular season victory also ties a single-season Division I program record, a mark set just one year ago.

Trailing by three with 1:04 to play, five-straight points by the Black and Gold, including a jumper from Morgan Olander (Mansfield, Conn.) and a 3-pointer from Tiersa Winder (Baltimore, Md.) gave the visitors a 53-51 edge with just 27 seconds left on the clock. On the subsequent possession, The Mount responded to knot the score with 16 seconds remaining.

With time ticking down, senior point guard Jenniqua Bailey (Bloomfield, Conn.) earned herself a trip to the free throw line where she knocked down a pair to put the Bulldogs up, 55-53, with nine seconds to play. The Mountaineers had one final shot with four ticks left, but were unable to convert sealing the big road victory for Bryant.

Winder led all scorers with 14 points, including 3-of-8 from deep, to go along with four rebounds and a pair of assists, while Jenniqua Bailey finished with 12 points, six boards, four helpers and three steals. Freshman Ivory Bailey (Wyomissing, Pa.) and junior Breanna Rucker (Cincinnati, Ohio) each chipped in eight points and seven boards, with Rucker also tallying three steals. Olander added six points in 27 minutes and junior sharpshooter Dani Anderson (Wellington, Kan.) posted five points off the bench.

Sarafina Arthur-Williams was the lone Mountaineer to hit double digits in the scoring column, finishing with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds and six steals, while Jacqueline Brewer finished with just nine points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field.

After a sluggish first frame, the Black and Gold dominated the second half of play, outscoring, 37-30, and outrebounding, 18-13, The Mount in the final 20 minutes of play. The Bulldogs also overcame just 29 percent shooting in the first period to finish the game at a 39 percent clip compared to 40 percent for the hosts.

Bryant, one of just three teams to already clinch a spot in the upcoming NEC Tournament (CCSU, Robert Morris), will look to make it three in-a-row when they face off with a feisty Fairleigh Dickinson squad, Monday night (7 p.m.) on ESPN3.