BULLDOGS GO FOR LONGEST WIN STREAK IN DI ERA AT HOME AGAINST YALE WEDNESDAY NIGHT (7P)
FULL GAME NOTES
Watch: NECFrontRow.com
Listen: bryantbulldogs.com or Woon 1240AM
Live Stats: bryantbulldogs.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday
THE PARTICULARS
The Bulldogs go for the longest winning streak in the program's short Division I history Wednesday night at home, as Bryant hosts Ivy League opponent Yale at the Chace Athletic Center in a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. The mid-week matchup can be heard on WOON 1240AM and can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.
THE SERIES
This is the fifth "Battle of the Bulldogs" in as many years and the third time Yale has visited Smithfield for a tilt on the hardwood. Bryant took the series opener, 69-58, back in January 2009, but since then it has been all Yale, as the Connecticut Bulldogs have won each of the last three meetings, including last year's 76-59 victory in New Haven.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Austin Morgan leads the 2-6 Bulldogs with 12.8 points per game and is joined by Justin Sears (10.4 ppg) as the only players to average double figures. Sears paces the team on the glass (6.8 rpg) and is shooting 51.7 percent from the floor, while Brandon Sherrod has half of Yale's 24 blocks. As a unit, Yale is shooting 37.3 percent from the field with a 32.2 percent clip from downtown. The Bulldogs pull in 33.8 rebounds each time out and have recorded wins over Army (2OT) and Buffalo this season.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE YALE BULLDOGS
Bryant kept the game tight through nearly 35 minutes Dec. 7 in New Haven, Conn., but couldn't contain Yale down the stretch as the host Bulldogs pulled away from a 76-59 win at John. J. Lee Amphitheater. Corey Maynard led Bryant with 15 points off 6-of-10 shooting while Alex Francis and Claybrin McMath picked up 10 points apiece. Greg Mangano led the home side with 21 points, 15 of them coming in the second frame after the teams entered the locker room tied, 27-27 at the half. The game stayed tight for the first 15 minutes out of the break, as well, but a fading 3-pointer from Mangano – a shot that found net just as the shot clock expired – proved to be the deflating and definitive basket for Yale. The points broke the game's ninth and final tie (52-52) and Bryant could not recover, as the triple turned the momentum permanently in Yale's favor. The Connecticut Bulldogs went 23-of-28 from the free throw line, vastly outpacing Bryant's 6-for-13 mark, to help vault home team to victory, despite the visitors shooting at a 47.9 percent clip.
BRYANT vs. THE IVY LEAGUE
Wednesday's matchup marks the second of three contests Bryant will play against members of the Ivy League in 2012-13, having already beaten Brown for the first time in program history, 68-61, Nov. 21 on the road. All-time, Bryant is 2-15 against the Ancient Eight in its short Division I history, having matched up against Columbia (0-3), Brown (1-4), Cornell (0-2), Harvard (0-2), Yale (1-3) and Dartmouth (0-1) over the last four-plus seasons. In the history of the program, the Bulldogs are just 2-22 against Ivy League opponents, most frequently matching up with intrastate rival Brown (1-11).
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs remain in Smithfield, R.I., for the final of three-straight home contests Saturday, Dec. 8, as Bryant hosts Binghamton in a 1:00 p.m. matchup at the Chace Athletic Center. Saturday's game can be heard live on WOON 1240AM and seen at NECFrontRow.com. Coming to the game? Don't forget to bring a toy! Support the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's annual Toys for Tots toy drive by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to Saturday's men's basketball game against Binghamton University.
GOING STREAKING
With their 70-59 win over Army Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs tied the program's longest winning streak in the Division I era at four-consecutive victories. The last time Bryant won four straight came in January 2011, when the team topped St. Francis Brooklyn (67-64), Quinnipiac (69-61), Sacred Heart (72-59) and Fairleigh Dickinson (74-71) from Jan. 8-20. Interestingly enough, Bryant's current stretch of wins have all come against opponents the Bulldogs had never previously beaten in the history of the program.
MOVIN' ON UP
And with their win streak, the Bulldogs have also streaked up the national RPI. According to CBSSports.com, Bryant ranks 26th in the nation in the RPI, ahead of such schools as Oregon, Cal, Oklahoma and Xavier and the the highest of any Northeast Conference school. Bryant's strength of schedule ranks 46th.
FOUR SCORE
For the first time this season, four different Bulldogs got into double figures in the points column against the Black Knights Saturday. Sophomore guard Dyami Starksled the way with 20, marking his second 20-point game in the last three outings, while senior point guard Frankie Dobbs added a season-best 19. Junior forward Alex Francis chipped in 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while sophomore transfer Joe O'Shea picked up a new career high with 12 points. The last time four Bulldogs each scored 10 or more points in a single outing was Feb. 8, 2012 at Sacred Heart.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
The Bulldogs have earned the program's first-ever win over its last four opponents in the University of New Hampshire (76-64 home win on Nov. 17), Brown (68-61 road win on Nov. 21), Boston College (56-54 road win on Nov. 25) and Army (70-59 home win on Dec. 1).
BAZOOKA JOE
Joe O'Shea exploded against the Black Knights Saturday, playing a major role in the win on both ends of the court. O'Shea not only set a new career mark in points (12), he also picked up new highs in rebounds (6), assists (3), field goals (4), free throws made (3) and attempted (4) and minutes (34), while tying career marks for steals (2), 3-pointers made (1) and 3-pointers attempted (3).
A STARK CONTRAST
The Bulldogs have been a different team with the arrival of sophomore guard Dyami Starks. Starks leads the team in points per game (16.5), steals (8), field goals made (36) and 3-pointers made (15) in 2012-13, and the Columbia transfer has averaged 19.8 points per game with a .492 shooting percentage over Bryant's four-game winning streak. Starks was awarded the program's first-ever Northeast Conference Player of the Week accolade Nov. 26 after averaging 21.0 points per game in road wins over Brown (career-high 25 points) and Boston College (17 points), and the guard — who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules — has started all six contests and averages 34.8 minutes per game. His 25-point performance against the Bears is the highest scoring output of any Bulldog this season.
TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are still available for the 2012-13 men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-519-TIXX.
CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference have partnered with Pack Network to create NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts in 2012-13. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2012-13 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge broadcasts of all 15 Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Visit www.necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.
BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the fifth-consecutive season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action as the voice of the Bulldogs, alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.
