November 14, 2009

BULLDOGS CAN'T MAKE UP EARLY DEFICIT DESPITE STRONG SECOND HALF, FALL TO MERCER, 80-56, SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Boxscore

PROVIDENCE - Senior Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.) found his stride for the first time in the 2009-10 season, leading the Bulldogs to strong second-half play, but the Bryant University men's basketball team couldn't overcome an early deficit, falling to Mercer University, 80-56, at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in the second game of the World Vision Invitational.

Despite even play between the Bulldogs (0-2) and the Bears (2-0) in the second frame, Bryant was thwarted by an early hole for the second-straight contest. The Bulldogs played with much more consistency in the final 20 minutes, upping their point output as well as their effort on the court, and played with the most consistency and flow they've seen on the young season.

The Bulldogs caused seven Mercer turnovers while committing just four in the closing frame while Gresham provided a presence that he lacked against Providence College Friday night, adding 10 second-half points for a 17-point, two-block performance that led the Bulldogs on the afternoon.

But while the Black and Gold came out of the halftime break with a new fire and drive after a cold start, they didn't have enough time to overcome a first half that set them back by 24 points.

Rookie Claybrin McMath (Adelaide, Australia) got the scoring started for the Bulldogs with a face-up jumper four minutes into the contest, but not before spotting the Bears an 11-point advantage. The Bulldogs were forced to burn a pair of timeouts in the first five minutes, finding themselves in a double-digit hole for the second night in a row.

Scoring droughts, a lack of defense and turnovers cost the Bulldogs throughout the frame, and Bryant found themselves giving the Bears 23 points off 11 turnovers.

But in the final 1:32 of the first half, the Bulldogs disrupted the Mercer tempo that, until then, had controlled the game. Senior Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I.) knocked down a jumper from the top of the key for his first points of the afternoon while freshman guard Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.) responded with points of his own, carrying the ball down the floor after a missed Mercer shot and charging through traffic for a layup. The baskets were just the second set of back-to-back points for the Bulldogs in the frame.

Gresham hit his only three of the half with just seven seconds remaining, giving the Bulldogs seven-straight points to enter the halftime break trailing, 45-21.

Bryant came out of the break with a new look, playing tougher defense and taking quality shots more often in an effort to close the gap against a quick and athletic Mercer side.

The Bulldogs saw a bit of a turning point 4:07 into the second half, when a Gresham three that missed was roped in by Mercer on the rebound. But when the Bears couldn't handle it, the ball skipped around the floor, hitting hands on both teams before skirting toward the baseline. Jordan, hustling from the opposite side of floor, fell on the ball and wrestled with Mercer's Jeff Smith for possession.

The rookie standout would win the battle, and his efforts would pay off as senior Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass.) made good on a layup off the inbound pass to bring the score to 57-31.

From there, the Bulldogs continued to make moves, determining their own tempo and challenging the Bears on the defensive end. Bryant would score 15 points over the next 3:31, bringing the score to within 20 for the first time since the 12:55 mark of the first frame.

But despite the improvement, it wouldn't be enough to catch the Bears, who stayed hot in the second half, as the Bulldogs fell to an 80-56 final.

Gresham's 17 points were a side-high for a team that shot 42.6 percent from the floor, while Jordan shined in just his second collegiate game, collecting 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and tying a game-best with five assists. Sophomore Papa Lo (Thies, Senegal) came up big in the second half, recording all of his game-high eight rebounds in the closing 20 minutes and chipping in four points, a block and a steal.

EJ Kusnyer led three Bears in double figures with a game-high 22 points while Daniel Emerson tied Lo with eight boards and added 16 points on the day.

The Bulldogs return to action Sunday when they play their third game in as many days, wrapping up the World Vision Invitational with a 12 p.m. bout against Bucknell University.