January 7, 2008

Box Score

HOT SECOND HALF SHOOTING HELPS LONG ISLAND GET PAST BRYANT, 76-61, WEDNESDAY NIGHT

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -Long Island University shot 50 percent from the floor while hitting seven second half three's to get past the Bryant men's basketball team, 76-61, Wednesday night in Brooklyn.

Despite Bryant holding the lead for almost 15 minutes of the first half, Long Island used a 9-2 run to end the frame and take a 31-25 lead into halftime. The Blackbirds relied heavily on outside shooting and a balanced attack to stay with Bryant, knocking down four of 12 from behind the arc while having eight different players get on the scoresheet.  

After falling behind 6-2 to start the contest, the Bulldogs would go on an 8-1 run to take a 10-7 lead with 15:15 left in the first half, highlighted by four points from Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio / Dater) and a three from Pete Lambert (Cumberland, R.I. / Cumberland).

Wright, along with junior forward Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass. / New Bedford), helped Bryant dominate the paint in the first frame, outscoring Long Island 18-4. Wright and Pontes led the way offensively, with Pontes tallying eight points and Wright seven in the half.

With the score tied at 12 apiece with 12:52 left, Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / Bloomfield) rose up and knocked down a three from the right wing, giving Bryant the lead and moving the junior forward up to sixth all time in made three-pointers in a career. A Sam Leclerc (Fayette, Maine / Winthrop) lay-in would give the Bulldogs their biggest advantage at 17-12 with under 11 minutes in the half.

Two free throws from Julian Boyd with 2:06 remaining would reclaim the lead for the Blackbirds for the first time since leading 6-5 at the 17:40 mark. LIU was also helped by a 20-3 advantage at the free-throw stripe, as they held the largest lead of the game for either side (6 points) going into the locker room.

Long Island's Kyle Johnson would take over to start the second half, scoring the first seven points and extending the Long Island lead to 13 forcing head coach Tim O'Shea to call a timeout with 17:50 left. The run would end up being the difference in the game as the two teams would play even throughout the rest of the game. Johnson finished with a game-high 19 points.

A two by Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I. / Scituate) and another Lambert three would get Bryant back to within eight, trailing 38-30 with 10:50 to play. Birrell finished with seven points and tied for a team-high with six rebounds.

The two squads put on a shooting display from the outside for the rest of the second half, as the Bulldogs matched every Long Island run to stay within striking distance.  The Blackbirds shot 7-for-14 from behind the arc in the half while Bryant went 7-for-11 (63.6 %).

Michael Culpo hit on three three's in a five minute span, giving LIU a 12 point lead. But Lambert was not to be outdone, hitting five three's in the frame to keep Bryant right with the Blackbirds. Lambert went 6-for-8 from downtown, finishing the game with a team-high 18 points.

Bryant kept the deficit around ten for the remainder of the game, but just could not slow down the Long Island attack. The Blackbirds were dominant on the boards, beating the Bulldogs 45-33 and converting on 17 second-chance points while turning 14 Bryant turnovers into 19 points.

Jaytornah Wisseh finished off the game hitting on 8-of-10 from the free throw line, scoring the final eight points for the Blackbirds.

Pontes also finished in double-figures with ten, making it his third-straight game in double-digits.

The Bulldogs look to get back on the winning track as they travel to take on in-state rival Brown University on Saturday afternoon in Providence (4 p.m.).