January 24, 2009

Box Score

LAST SECOND HEROICS LIFTS BRYANT TO 57-55 UPSET VICTORY OVER LONG ISLAND SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - After a tough loss Wednesday night at NJIT, the Bryant University men's basketball team bounced back with a big, 57-55, victory over Long Island Saturday afternoon in the final seconds. The win was the third home victory for the Bulldogs (4-16), and second in their last three games. The Blackbirds (9-10) came into the game tied for second in the Northeast Conference, but have now dropped back-to-back games.

Andrew Lyell (Portsmouth, R.I. / Portsmouth) hit a lay-up off a dish from Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y. / Lindenhurst) with 2.1 seconds left to grab the victory. A half-court heave by Jaytornah Wisseh was off the mark, sending the Bulldogs to their fourth Division I win. Parzych finished with a career-high 12 points to go along with three assists while Lyell had seven points, five boards and five assists.

The Bulldogs looked like a team on a mission, playing their best first half of the season, shooting 56.5 percent from the floor while limiting the Blackbirds to 6-of-22 shooting to take their biggest halftime lead of the year at 34-17.

A driving lay-in by Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I. / Scituate) with just over 15 minutes to go in the first half gave Bryant an early 11-5 lead. Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / MCI) had five of Bryant's first 11 points, as he found his shooting stroke again, leading all scorers with seven points at the break.

A 6-0 Long Island run tied the game at 11-11 with 11:30 to go, thanks to seven early points from Wisseh.

Gresham put an end to that run with a jumper that would send Bryant on a 23-6 run to end the half, leading by as many as 19 points in the frame.

The run included a great hustle play from Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio / Dater) who picked up a loose ball at half-court and drove in for a lay-up while getting fouled, giving Bryant a 17-11 lead with 9:15 left.

The Bulldogs showed the outside touch in the half, connecting on three three's with less than four minutes to go and going 4-for-9 in the frame, as Lyell, Parych and Sam Leclerc (Fayette, Maine / Winthrop) all connected from deep, giving Bryant its biggest lead of the season at 34-15 with 1:20 to play.

The treys were part of a two minute stretch that saw the Bulldogs outscore the Blackbirds 11-0, including six points from Parzych.

Long Island would not go down quietly, as the second place team in the Northeast Conference went on a 14-4 run to start the half, highlighted by three three's from David Hicks to cut the Bryant lead all the way down to seven at 38-31 with 16:17 to play.

Gresham would respond and end the run with a bucket plus a foul to extend the Bryant lead back to double-digits. The junior made shots every time Bryant needed one, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Another short 6-0 run by Long Island cut into the Bryant lead even further, getting to within five following a pair of Julian Boyd free throws with 11:05 left. The Blackbirds went to the line 14 times in the second half, as the Bulldogs were called for their seventh foul with 14:43 still remaining.

A pair of three's from Gresham put Bryant back up by nine at the 9:02 mark, but the Blackbirds continued to chip away at the Bulldog lead, going on a 9-2 run to cut the lead all the way down to three with under four minutes to go.

The Bryant defense stepped up on the next possessions, forcing a shot clock violation followed by a huge steal from Gresham. The two teams would exchange free-throws, and Parzych would hold the lead at three with 35.9 ticks on the clock.

The ensuing possession saw Wisseh miss a three, but an offensive rebound and put-back plus a foul from Ron Manigault would tie the game at 55-55 with 19.5 seconds left.

Head coach Tim O'Shea called a timeout with 8.1 showing on the clock to draw-up the Bryant final play. Parzych, who had not played much since the January 12 against Cornell, took the ball on the left wing and penetrated across the lane to the right side before leaving a great pass off for Lyell along the baseline for the easy two that sent a raucous crowd of 971 into a frenzy, and giving Bryant its fourth Division I win.

Bryant looks to keep momentum as they begin a four-game road trip, making their first stop in Pittsburgh to play Robert Morris on Thursday night (7 p.m.).

POST GAME NOTES ...

Ø  Bryant is now 4-16 on the season.  Long Island drops to 9-10.
Ø  Bryant's 34-17 lead at the half was the largest lead at the break for Bryant this season.  The 34 points were the most scored in a first half and the 17 points by LIU were the fewest Bryant has allowed an opponent.
Ø  It was just Bryant's third lead at the half this season
Ø  The 55 points by LIU were just the third fewest Bryant has allowed this season. 
Ø  The 12 points by Adam Parzych were a career-high.  Parzych played 21 total minutes, finishing with three assists including an assist on the game-winning basket by Andrew Lyell.
Ø  The win was Bryant's fourth this season - Bryant first in Division I.  The Bulldogs have won three games at home and one on a neutral court. 
Ø  Bryant will embark on a four-game road trip starting next Thursday at Robert Morris.
Ø  The next home Bryant game will be on Thursday, Feb. 12 against Wagner.