December 03, 2009

LO RECORDS NINE BLOCKS, BUT BULLDOGS CAN'T BLOCK OUT LIU THURSDAY NIGHT, FALL TO BLACKBIRDS, 62-46

Boxscore

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Despite a career-high nine blocks from sophomore Papa Lo (Thies, Senegal) and a career-best 15 points from freshman Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine), the Bryant University men's basketball team fell to Long Island University, 62-46, in its first official Northeast Conference contest Thursday night at the Wellness Center.

Lo's nine rejections nearly equal his total blocks on the season entering Thursday's matchup (12) and rank second all-time in the Bryant record books for blocks in a single game. Junior Barry Latham (Taunton, Mass.) and senior Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass.) chipped in two and one blocks, respectively, giving Bryant (0-7, 0-1 NEC) a season-high 12 send backs on the night, just one shy of tying the program record.

Kondratyev's 15 points were a game high as well and came on 6-of-12 shooting from the field (1-for-2 from 3-point land). The rookie also tied a team-best with five rebounds.

Neither team led by more than five points through the first frame, with Bryant racing out to an 8-3 edge in the first 1:11 after a jumper from Latham and the first trey of the night from senior guard Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y.).

Long Island (3-3, 1-0) took its first lead, 13-12, just over 6:30 into the contest and the teams would one-up each other for the remainder of the half, the lead changing hands five times through the first 20 minutes.

The Blackbirds took a five-point advantage of their own, 27-22, as the clock ticked under 6:30. But Bryant pulled quickly back to within one, 29-28, compliments of five-straight Kondratyev points over nearly three minutes.

That would be the last Bryant point of the half, while LIU's Jamal Olasewere would convert on a three-point play in the waning seconds to send the teams to the locker rooms with a 32-28 tally in the home side's favor.

The Bulldogs would shoot 34.4 percent through the first session, led by 11 points from Kondratyev. But the score wouldn't have been quite so close without the stellar defensive efforts of Lo, who rejected five of his nine total blocks in the first half.

But when Bryant came out a bit slow to open the second, the Blackbirds took advantage, running their four-point halftime lead to 15 just five minutes in.

Both sides would go cold mid-frame, though, and Kondratyev ended a 3:48 Bulldog scoreless streak when he muscled out a close-range basket with 7:16 to play. Lo then narrowed the deficit to 51-39 with a tip-in on the next possession.

The Bulldogs held LIU scoreless for a 5:28 span in the middle of the closing frame - keeping them without a field goal for 6:27 - but Bryant's offense couldn't get going in transition, keeping the visitors in a double-digit hole throughout the half.

In the end, despite posting a season-high 12 blocks and a season-low 11 turnovers, the Bulldogs would fall, 62-46, in their first official Northeast Conference game.

Bryant shot 31.6 percent on the day to the Blackbirds' 36.1 percent. Both teams dished out 11 assists while Bryant recorded nine steals. LIU won the battle on the glass, 50-31, but turned the ball over three more times than its opponent. Olasewere and Kenny Onyechi led the Blackbirds with 13 points apiece, while Olasewere (13 points, game-high 11 rebounds) and Jaytornah Wisseh (10p, 10r) each collected a double-double in the outing.

The loss also came without the help of Bryant leading scorer Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.), who was sidelined by a knee injury.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, Dec. 5 when they take on St. Francis (NY) on the road to conclude the opening weekend of Northeast Conference action. The contest, to tip off at noon, will be broadcast on MSG and Fox College Sports and will be aired by Cox Sports-3 in Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut Sunday night at 7 p.m.