SMITHFIELD, R.I. (Jan. 12, 2014) – Similar to last season's two meetings, it was another close one between Bryant and Saint Francis U inside the Chace Athletic Center on Monday night. The Red Flash put together another impressive comeback, but the Bulldogs closed it out, 87-83.

Each of last year's contests was decided by four points or less and tonight was no different. Bryant held a 16 point lead in the first half, but again the Flash proved resilient and battled all the way back and nearly pulled it out with help of forcing 22 turnovers. Bryant used 21 offensive rebounds and won the rebounding battle by a margin of 56-26.

SFU had three players reach double-figures, led by Alexa Hayward (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk), who scored 25 points and hit two dramatic shots that were both game-changing. Aisha Brock (Jacksonville, Fla./Potter's House Christian Academy) finished with 19 points for her fourth consecutive game in double-digits, while Maya Wynn (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh) added 11.

"We did some good things tonight, but we gave up way too many offensive rebounds. Our pressure really stepped up again down the stretch, but we didn't close it out," said SFU head coach Joe Haigh.

Bryant came out firing on all cylinders and held a 10 point lead less than four minutes into the game. The lead went as high as 15 before the Red Flash cruised to a 9-0 run capped by an Adila Gathers (Buffalo, N.Y./Tapestry Charter) lay-up and they got back into the ballgame.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to double-figures again until the Flash starting raining three's. Wynn hit two quick ones with a Brock triple sprinkled in between and SFU was back within five points at the 5:45 mark.

Taylor Allison (State College, Pa./State College) then drew a key charge on defense for SFU and the Flash had a chance to tie or go ahead with about three minutes to go in the opening period. Saint Francis had the final possession of the half looking for one shot and Hayward made a tough runner as time expired and Bryant led just 42-39 at the break.

The frantic pace continued for both squads in the second half and SFU quickly erased Bryant's halftime lead. Saint Francis held its first advantage (44-42) since the first basket of the game after a Shaqeia Stokes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) lay-in.

Bryant led for the majority of the remaining time in half two, but Saint Francis was always right on its heels. With about five minutes left, SFU trailed by nine and their trap was starting to wreak havoc. The Flash went on to force several turnovers down the stretch and they required Bryant to use all of their timeouts well before they would have liked to.

SFU faced a five-point deficit with nine seconds to play until Hayward put up another contested running three-pointer and the Flash trailed just 85-83. Saint Francis didn't get a steal so they had to foul and clutch free throws iced the game for the Bulldogs.

Bryant finished the game with 40 free throw attempts, making 32 of them, while SFU only shot 19.

Gathers finished with seven points and eight rebounds, while Rochelle Reece (Ajax, Ontario, Canada/Pickering) scored eight off the bench for the Flash. Samiah Bethel (Jacksonville, Fla./Potter's House Christian Academy) posted six points in just her second game back from an injury, which made her miss the first 13 games.

Saint Francis returns to Loretto to host Sacred Heart on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Red Flash nearly mounted a 15-point comeback win against the Pioneers on Jan. 10. This home contest can be viewed on ESPN3.