January 17, 2009

Box Score 

BULLDOGS SHUTDOWN KNIGHTS, 56-43, AT THE CHACE CENTER SATURDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University men's basketball team allowed a season-low 43 points, as they beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 56-43, Saturday afternoon at the Chace Center to stop a four-game losing skid.

The Bulldogs (3-15) shot 40.7 percent from the floor in the first half while holding Fairleigh Dickinson (2-14) to just eight field goals as they took a 25-24 lead into the locker room. It was the first halftime lead for Bryant since November 22nd against Quinnipiac, when the Bulldogs took a, 31-25, lead into the break and went on to win, 59-50.

Junior forward Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass. / New Bedford) paced the Bryant offense, scoring 13 points in the first half on 6-for-11 shooting while pulling down four rebounds. Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / MCI) was shut out in the first half, but led both teams with five rebounds.

The Knights would lead only once in the first frame, taking a 4-3 advantage with 17:50 left in the half following a pair of Alvin Mofunanya free-throws. Mofunanya led the way for Fairleigh Dickinson with nine first half points.

Bryant would go on an 11-3, highlighted by six points from Pontes to go along with a Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I. / Scituate) three. An 8-2 run later in the half would give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game and their largest first half lead of the season after a Pontes tip-in pushed the lead to 25-13 with 6:50 to go.

Those would be the last points of the half for Bryant, as the Knights would hold the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 6:50 while going on an 11-0 run to come within one at the break. Preseason all-NEC selection Sean Baptiste was held to four points, hitting jumpers on back-to-back possessions in the final four minutes.

The two teams went back-and-forth to start the second half, with two ties and four lead changes over the first five and a half minutes. After a free-throw from Kamil Svrdlik tied the game at 30 apiece with 14:36 to go, Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio / Dater) played his best half of the year, stepping in for Pontes who was called for his third foul early in the frame.

Wright broke the tie with an offensive rebound and put-back while getting fouled, sending the Bulldogs on a 17-0 run over the next seven minutes. Wright scored eight of his season-high 14 points during the run, while Gresham knocked-down two three's helping give Bryant a 47-30 lead, the squad's biggest lead of the game. Gresham finished with a team and season-high nine rebounds, while Wright grabbed eight. As a team, the Bulldogs had a season-best 46 boards while holding a plus-17 rebounding margin, easily the best all year and only the second time this season they have outrebounded the opposition (last time versus Army on December 8).

A free-throw from Sean Baptiste broke the 7-plus minute scoreless drought, while his lay-in at the 5:45 mark stopped a nine minute span without a field goal. The Knights would go on to shoot just 30.6 percent from the floor and just 2-for-16 from behind the arc. The charity stripe was not kind either, as team went 11-for-20 (55 percent).

Fairleigh Dickinson would try to climb back into the game, going on an 8-0 run in just two minutes, coming to within eight with 2:55 to go. Baptiste had four in the run and finished with a team-high 13.

After head coach Tim O'Shea called a timeout, the Bulldogs wasted the shot clock down to four before Andrew Lyell (Portsmouth, R.I. / Portsmouth), took the ball strong the basket and made a big lay-in with 2:20 to go as the shot clock expired, giving Bryant a 10-point lead with 2:20 left.

After the Bulldog defense forced another turnover, Lyell got the ball again, this time going right at Fairleigh Dickinson big-man Mofunanya for another bucket to ice the game, extending the Bulldog lead to 55-43 with 1:35 to go. Lyell finished with six points to go with a season-high eight rebounds.

Pontes played a huge game, finishing with a game-high 18 points, tying his season-high while giving him his seventh-straight double figure performance. He also grabbed seven boards and blocked two shots.

Bryant will look for back-to-back wins as they travel to Newark, New Jersey to face-off with NJIT on Wednesday night (7 p.m.).

POST GAME NOTES ...

Ø  With the win, Bryant improves to 3-15 this season.  Fairleigh Dickinson, with the loss, drops to 2-14
Ø  The win snaps a four-game losing streak for Bryant.  FDU has now dropped four-straight
Ø  Bryant is now 2-4 at home (other win coming against Yale on Jan. 2)
Ø  Bryant led at the half 25-24.  It was just the second time this season Bryant has led at the break with the other being against Quinnipiac on Nov. 22 (31-25)
Ø  Bryant has now outscored its opponents in five of its last six games.
Ø  Nick Pontes' 18 points equaled his season best (18 vs. Brown) and has now scored in double figures in seven-straight games
Ø  Jerrann Wright's 14 points were a season-high and his eight rebounds was second to his nine against Albany on Dec. 1.
Ø  The 46 rebounds were a season-high for Bryant
Ø  The four blocked shots equaled a season high for Bryant
Ø  The 43 points scored by Fairleigh Dickinson were the fewest Bryant has held an opponent to this year.  Quinnipiac was held to 50.