Smithfield, R.I. / Chace Athletic Center - The Robert Morris University women's basketball team lost at Bryant, 61-56, in overtime as their season came to an end at Chace Athletic Center on Monday night. The Colonials finish the year with a 7-22 overall record and a 6-12 mark in the Northeast Conference. Bryant earns the eighth and final playoff spot with a 12-17 record and 8-10 mark in league games.

“I'm so proud of these young ladies and this game just confirms why they are very special,” said RMU head coach Sal Buscaglia. “To be as competitive as we were throughout the year, to battle every game even though we only had seven scholarship players, in my heart they are winners both on and off the court. Most of them are returning and with an outstanding incoming recruiting class we have, I am very excited for next year. I'm very proud of our history being in the top four of the league in seven of the last eight years coming into this season. I truly believe that these young ladies will help drive us back to our history of success and another run at the NEC title.”

Kelly Hartwell (Woodbridge, Va. / Gar-Field) scored a career-high 21 points, 17 of those in the second half. Junior forward Artemis Spanou (Rhodes, Greece / Nea Smyrni) recorded her 24th consecutive double-double and her 26th of the season as she tallied 12 points and 16 rebounds. Freshman guard Ashley Ravelli (Milan, Italy / The Hun School) scored 15 points, 14 of those in the first half.

Tied 52-52 after regulation, RMU built a four-point lead as Hartwell hit a 15-foot jumper from the right baseline. Bryant, however, scored the last nine points of the game in a space of 87 seconds to take the 61-56 victory. Katie Whittington put the Bulldogs in front with a floater from 12 feet that made it 57-56 with 12 seconds to play. An RMU turnover on the in-bounds iced the game as the Bulldogs hit four free throws in the final six seconds.

RMU jumped out to a 16-6 lead on the strength of Ravelli's red-hot shooting. Bryant scored the next 11 points, taking a one-point lead at 17-16. After trading baskets over the next five minutes, the Bulldogs found themselves holding a 24-22 lead.

Junior forward Britta Emberg (Cowansville, Pa. / Kittaning) provided a spark off the bench, scoring three consecutive points on a free throw and then hit a 10-foot baseline jumper. That started a 7-0 run over the final 4:32 of the first half as the Colonials took a 29-24 lead at the break.

Back-to-back jumpers by Hartwell and senior Anna Gailite (Riga, Latvia / Riga Secondary #47) to start the second half put Robert Morris on top by nine points.  The Bulldogs slowly climbed back into the contest and eventually tied the game at 46 when Courtney Schissler knocked a pair of free throws with 4:21 to play. A pair of free throws and then a driving basket by Hartwell pushed the RMU back to four points.

Again Bryant battled back to tie the score before a two-pointer by Anna Kavasila (Cholargos, Greece / Glyfaados) was answered by a pair of free throws from Whittington to send the game into overtime.