December 8, 2007

BRYANT GETS WIN ON ROAD, 62-54, SATURDAY AFTERNOON BEHIND EZEOKOLI'S 14

Boxscore

MANCHESTER, NH - The Bryant University men's basketball team came back to .500 on the season, taking home a 62-54 victory over Southern New Hampshire University Saturday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

Bryant (4-4, 3-3 Northeast-10) went on a 10-2 run right out of the gates for an early lead that wouldn't last long. The Penmen (2-5, 1-5) would tie it at 10-10 before spotting the Bulldogs another hefty lead, 21-12 with just under 10 minutes to play in the half.

Bryant, led by 12 points from Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, OH), would improve that lead to 38-24 before the end of the half. SNHU's Gerald Carter led the Penmen, who went 9-for-25 from the field in the opening frame, with seven points and a trio of boards at the break.

The Bulldogs put forth a strong defensive effort in the first frame, doubling up the Penmen in rebounds, 24-12, to support their 17-for-35 performance from the field (48.6 percent). Bryant turned the ball over on eight occasions to SNHU's nine, while freshman Barry Latham (Taunton, Mass.) grabbed a first-half high five boards and chipped in eight points in 18 minutes.

After the break, the Bulldogs struggled to get to the basket but maintained their double-digit lead through the first 9:33 of the second half, when SNHU's Kelly Coder brought the score within eight, 49-41.

Bryant turned the ball over 11 times after the half, while the Penmen were able to limit Bryant's top two scorers, Jon Ezeokoli (South Orange, NJ) and Chris Birrell (Scituate, RI) to just five and three second-half points, respectively. Ezeokoli finished with 14 points while Birrell registered five on the day.

The Bulldogs would push their led back up to 59-45 with 5:30 to go in regulation, but the Penmen made a last attempt at leveling the score to draw within seven with two minutes showing on the clock.

But the late drive wouldn't be enough to take the victory away from Bryant, 62-54. Ezeokoli's 14 points were a team-high for the Bulldogs, while Gerald Carter led the Penmen with 18.

Bryant will next host Stonehill College at the Chace Athletic Center on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.