February 28, 2007

MEN'S BASKETBALL VISITS BENTLEY FOR NORTHEAST-10 SEMIFINAL THURSDAY

Site:  Waltham, Mass. - Dana Center, 7:00 p.m.
Game Notes / Live Bryant Audio /  Live Video - www.ne10.tv

Senior Nate Sudlow leads the Bulldogs into Thursday's NE-10 Semifinal game at second-ranked and undefeated Bentley.  Tipoff is at 7 pm. www.dspics.com

The Bryant University men's basketball team hits the road Thursday night when the Bulldogs visit top-seeded and the nation's No. 2 team in Bentley College in an NE-10 Conference Semifinal matchup at Waltham, Mass.  This will be the third meeting of the year between Bryant and Bentley with the Falcons winning handily, 61-49 at the Dana Center back on Dec. 5 and later earning a 78-76 win in Smithfield, RI back on Feb. 3.  Bryant, the No. 4 seed of the tournament is coming off a 79-63 win over fifth-seed AIC at the Chace Center Monday night.  Bentley, the No. 1 seed, rolled easily past Saint Anselm 77-43. 

BRYANT VS. BENTLEY IN 2006-07
Bryant and Bentley hooked up in an epic battle back on Feb. 3 with the Falcons using a 25-6 run to close out the game and winning 78-76 before a sold-out (2,660) Chace Center.  Bentley was No. 3 in the country at the time and trailed 70-53 with 8:51 left before starting the rally.  The Falcons, behind 23 points from Nate Fritsch and 17 from Jeff Holmes, scored 21 points off Bryant turnovers.  The Bulldogs were led by Chris Burns and Jon Ezeokoli who each finished with 15. 

SCOUTING THE FALCONS OF BENTLEY:
Bentley is perfect one the season at 27-0 and currently ranked No. 2 nationally in Division II.  Lew Finnegan and Jeff Holmes lead the way with 12.5 and 12.3 ppg respectively while Holmes and Nate Fritsch are averaging five boards a game.  Bentley is averaging 75 points per game, but defensively is where the Falcon's stand out most. Bentley is currently second in the country in scoring defense (57.2 ppg allowed) and outscoring opponents by an average of 17 points per game - the third-best nationally.

STORY LINES  

* Chris Burns is ranked 12th nationally last week with 3.6 three-point field goals per game average. The senior has a career-best 101 three's this season which is THIRD-best in school history.  The school record is 119 held by John Williams in 2004-05.   BRYANT IN THE NE-10 TOURNAMENT

Bryant had qualified for five-straight Northeast-10 Conference tournaments. The Bulldogs are 6-4 in the conference tournament since 2002-03 including a run to the NE-10 semifinals last year.  Bryant is 2-0 vs. AIC in the NE-10 tourney including a 61-54 win last year in the first round. 

2002-03                   vs. Franklin Pierce  (First Round)        70-74 L

2003-04                   vs. AIC (First Round)                           76-64 W

                                at Le Moyne (Quarters)                         72-65 W

                                at UMass Lowell (Semis)                      47-68 L

2004-05                   Franklin Pierce (First Round)               60-57 W

                                at Saint Anselm (Quarters)                   79-81 L OT

2005-06                   AIC (First Round)                                  61-54 W

                                at UMass Lowell (Quarters)                  63-61 W

                                at Stonehill (Semis)                               56-67 L

2006-07                   AIC (Quarterfinals)                            79-63 W

                                at Bentley (Semifinals)     

BULLDOGS REMAIN AT  NO. 4 IN REGIONAL POLL
After holding onto the No. 2 spot in the first two regional polls, the Bryant men's basketball team dropped to No. 4  in the NCAA Northeast Region.  Eight teams are selected for the NCAA Regional Tournament with the three regional conference champions earning an automatic bid. 

WINNING WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
Max Good's Bulldogs have found success in the winter months leading up to conference and NCAA playoff time.  The Bulldogs, who have advanced to three-straight NCAA Championships, were 7-2 in the month of January.  Since the 2003-04 season, Bryant has a 27-13 record in the month of January and 22-9 record in the month of February.  Last year, Bryant was 8-1 in February. 

Since 2003-04:
Record in January -                27-13
Record in February -              22-9

SENIORS HAVE .638 WINNING PERCENTAGE
Bryant's senior class of Chris Burns (Merrimack, NH), Dan Hammond (Brunswick, Maine), Nate Sudlow (Brooklyn, NY) have been involved in more than 80 wins during their four year careers.  The trio bring a combined record of 88-38 (.638) the week.  

BURNS HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Chris Burns (Merrimack, NH) racked up a career-best 36 points in Bryant's win at Southern Connecticut on Feb.17.  It was the third time this year Burns scored more than 30 after stellar back-to-back nights of 31 against Pace and Stonehill in January. The 36 points ties him for sixth for most points in a game with two other players (Noel Watson and Jason Bennett who reached the mark twice).  The record for points in a game is 53 by Dave Sorafine in 1976.

After scoring 22 points during a three-game cold stretch, Burns has averaged 24.3 points in the last three games (73 total) vs. Southern Connecticut (36), Merrimack (18), and AIC (19).