February 7, 2009

BRYANT WINS THIRD-STRAIGHT; TAKE DOWN QUINNIPIAC, 72-68, ON THE ROAD SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Boxscore

HAMDEN, CONN. - The Bryant University men's basketball finished a successful road stint with an impressive, 72-68, victory over Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon to win their third-straight game and fifth in the last seven. It was the second time the Bulldogs beat the Bobcats this season, earning a, 59-50, win back on Nov. 22 in the consolation game of the Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic.

Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass. / New Bedford) tied a career-high, scoring 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting to pace the visitors, while sophomore guard Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y. / Lindenhurst) came up clutch again, scoring 19 points, 17 in the second half, helping Bryant finish a four-game road trip with a 3-1 record, and four-straight home games on the horizon.

After shooting a season-best 52.8 percent Thursday against Monmouth, the Bulldogs (7-17) bested that with a 55.3 percent performance at the TD Banknorth Sports Center this afternoon, including an eye-popping 9-for-15 from behind the arc. Quinnipiac (10-13) had won back-to-back games coming into the contest, including a road win over Sacred Heart on Thursday night.

Bryant shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, including 6-for-12 from three, but trailed Quinnipiac, 33-32, at the break. The Bobcats shot only 39.3 percent from the field, but grabbed 11 offensive rebounds in the frame while going to the line 14 times to help hold the slim one-point edge as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

Pete Lambert (Cumberland, R.I. / Cumberland) jump-started the Bulldog offense with two from downtown to start the game, giving Bryant an early 6-0 advantage over the host Bobcats. Lambert and Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I. / Scituate) each connected on three treys in the half, with Birrell going a perfect 3-for-3, to pace the team with nine points each.

A two-point jump shot from just inside the arc by Parzych gave Bryant a 10-6 lead with 13:37 to go. The Bobcats then responded with a 10-0 run over the next two and a half minutes, building a 16-10 lead at the 10:53 mark.

Trailing by five with 8:49 remaining, Bryant went on a 14-3 run, getting eight-straight points from Pontes to reclaim the advantage and match their biggest lead at 29-23 with only 2:59 showing on the clock.

James Feldeine responded with five-straight for Quinnipiac to get the Bobcats to within one before Birrell drained another trifecta. The home team ended the half with five free-throws to take the one point lead at the break. Bryant did not attempt a free-throw in the first half.

Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / MCI) knocked down a three from the right wing with 17:30 to go in the game to give the Bulldogs the lead for good. The trey was part of an 11-3 Bryant run to open the second half as Bryant took a 43-36 advantage at the 15:12 mark.

The Bobcats inched back into the game, cutting the deficit to three at 48-45 with 13:18 to go following a shot from downtown by Bryan Geffen. Geffen had 12 points in the game.

But this half was all about Pontes and Parzych, as the duo combined for 30 of the 40 Bulldog points in the second half. Pontes controlled the paint, scoring 12 of the first 17 Bryant points in the frame, including two three-point plays. The junior forward scored four points in 10 seconds, lifting the Bulldog lead back to seven at 52-45 with 11:56 left.

A 10-3 run by Quinnipiac drew the home team even at, 55-55, after a tip-in by Justin Rutty with 8:02 to go. Rutty finished with a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

With the score tied, Parzych became the main scoring threat, dropping in 12 of the next 14 Bryant points. The sophomore guard broke the tie with a pull-up three from the top of the key, and then hit the biggest shot of the game, as he drilled 30-foot three with the shot clock winding down, giving the Bulldogs their biggest lead at 67-59 with 3:17 remaining in the game.

The Bobcats would not go down quietly. Trailing by seven following a Birrell free-throw with 1:59 showing on the clock, Quinnipiac scored five-straight points, as Rutty grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a fade-jumper to get the Bobcats as close as two at 70-68 with 47 ticks left.

After running the clock down to 16.2 seconds, Andrew Lyell (Portsmouth, R.I. / Portsmouth) was fouled and sent to the line for a pair of free-throws. The senior stepped-up and knocked both home, making it a two possession game with the score 72-68.

Quinnipiac got the ball into the hands of Feldeine on the right side who took a deep three on the next possession, hitting the back iron as Lyell came down with the rebound, but was tied up underneath, giving the Bobcats the ball with 6.2 seconds to go. Feldeine would heave up another deep three that was off the mark, as Gresham pulled down the rebound to secure the seventh win for the Bulldogs.

Feldeine finished with a team-high 15 points, as the Bobcats shot 43.6 percent for the game, hitting five three's in the second half. For the Bulldogs, Birrell also finished in double-figures, notching 12 points while dishing out three assists.

Bryant returns to the Chace Center on Thursday night to battle Wagner in the first of a four-game home stand (7 p.m.).