BULLDOGS FALL TO MOUNTAIN HAWKS AT HOME, 72-55, SATURDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Claybrin McMath (Adelaide, Australia) paced the Bryant University men's basketball team with a career-high 14 points, but the Bulldogs couldn't contain the offense of Lehigh's C.J. McCollum in just their second home game of the season, falling to the Mountain Hawks, 72-55, Saturday at the Chace Athletic Center.

McCollum's 34 points off 13-of-21 shooting paced the contest, while Gabe Knutson recorded the only double-double of the outing with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Three Bulldogs recorded double-figure points, as junior Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.) put up a season-high 12 and sophomore Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) kept his 15-game double-digit point streak intact with 10 points.

Rookie Ben Altit (Herzeliya, Israel) posted a trio of blocks for the second-consecutive game to headline five stuffs from the Bryant ranks, the most for the team this season.

Both sides struggled to find the basket in the opening minutes of the game, with neither team eclipsing 25 percent shooting over the first nine minutes for a 10-8 margin favoring the Mountain Hawks (11-4).

But after Bryant (1-12) bookended Lehigh baskets to move the score to a 12-12 stalemate with 10 minutes to go before the half, the Mountain Hawks would take flight, pulling away from their hosts with a 25-8 run that would last the remainder of the frame. Lehigh would take a 37-18 advantage into the locker room.

Out of the intermission, Lehigh quickly came out to double up its host, 48-24, four minutes into the second stanza, and the Mountain Hawks would maintain a 20-point lead until the 9:11 mark when the third of three-straight Claybrin McMath (Adelaide, Australia) treys – all from the top of the arc – cut the visitors' advantage to 18 points, 60-42.

The consecutive 3-pointers came in a span of less than two minutes, and junior Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio) would keep the streak going with a fastbreak layup to get the score within 16 with 8:30 left to play.

With 6:41 left on the clock, two free throws apiece from Dobbs and Jordan cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 62-48, but 14 points was as close as the home side would get, eventually falling to the visiting Mountain Hawks, 72-55.

Bryant outscored Lehigh in the second half, 37-35, and shot 42.3 percent in the frame, but hit only 26.9 percent of its first-half shots for a 34.6 percent mark on the day. The Mountain Hawks would total a 41.9 percent clip, but didn't see a player score more than five points outside the work of McCollum and Knutson.

On the afternoon, the Mountain Hawks outrebounded the Bulldogs, 46-29. Dobbs paced the game with seven assists and three steals, also going 6-for-7 at the line while Jordan's six boards were a team best.

Saturday's game marked just the second time the Bulldogs have appeared at the Chace Athletic Center during the 2011-12 season after playing 11 of their first 12 contests on the road. Bryant will now stay home for the next two, though, as the Black and Gold return to Northeast Conference play to host Robert Morris Thursday, Jan. 5 (7 p.m.) and Saint Francis (PA) Saturday, Jan. 7 (4 p.m.).