BULLDOGS GO FOR EIGHTH-STRAIGHT SATURDAY AT HOME AGAINST WAGNER (4 P.M.)
FULL GAME NOTES
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THE PARTICULARS
Looking to remain unbeaten in NEC action and in search of its eighth-consecutive victory, Bryant welcomes a talented Wagner College side to the Chace Athletic Center for the second half of a Saturday afternoon doubleheader (4 p.m.).
THE SERIES
A young rivalry continues to heat up between the Bulldogs and the Seahawks, who have faced off five times since their first tilt back in February 2009. Wagner leads the all-time series, 4-1, but twice the contest has come down to the final whistle to determine the winner. Wagner swept Bryant in the season series last year and is 3-0 all-time at the Chace Athletic Center. Bryant took its only win of the series back on Feb. 18, 2010, when a pair of free throws from now-senior Raphael Jordan with eight-tenths of a second to play lifted the Bulldogs to a last-second, 53-51 road victory. The Seahawks have won the last three matchups between the two squads.
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Jonathon WIlliams (14.4), Kenneth Ortiz (11.9) and Latif Rivers (10.9) all average double figures for Wagner, as the Seahawks average just under 61 points per game while shooting 40.3 percent as a team. Williams's 7.1 boards per outing pace Saturday's visitors, while Mario Moody chips in another 6.4 rebounds per contest with 27 blocks and 20 steals. Naofall Folahan has a team-leading 31 stuffs on the season for a Seahawk side that puts up 5.4 blocks per game while Ortiz has dished out 78 assists on the year. Wagner enters the game 9-7 overall but off consecutive league losses to St. Francis Brooklyn and CCSU after starting off the 2012-13 league slate 3-0.
LAST TIME AGAINST WAGNER (February 23, 2012)
Despite a team-high 21 points from Alex Francis and career-high 13 from Dan Calandrillo, the Bryant University men's basketball team dropped an 86-73 decision to Wagner College at the Chace Athletic Center. The hosts led for much of the opening frame behind a strong start from Francis but would take just a two-point, 42-40, edge into the locker room despite shooting 55 percent from the floor. Just minutes into the second half, Latif Rivers put the Seahawks on top, 49-47, for the first time since the game's opening basket, though, and the visitors extended their lead to nine with just over 13 to play. Bryant would cut the deficit back to five, 58-53, soon after, but Wagner would grab a double-digit lead as the clock ticked under 11 to go and held onto it for the 86-73 final.
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 5-0 against the Northeast Conference in 2012-13 with a 20-53 record against current league members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current NEC members, the Bulldog basketball program is 48-107 (.310), having most frequently faced off against former Northeast-10 Conference (DII) member Quinnipiac (18-42).
QUICK HITS
» Defending the Home Turf: Wagner is a perfect 3-0 against the Bulldogs in Smithfield, a trend the Bulldogs will look to put a stop to Saturday afternoon.
» Defense? Despite coming out on top, for the second-straight home outing, Bryant has allowed its opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor. Quinnipiac fired at a 57.7 clip (41-71) from the floor Jan. 10 and Mount St. Mary's shot 52.5 percent (31-59) Thursday night.
» Red Hot: Bryant's current winning streak stands at seven entering Saturday's tilt and is the most consecutive victories for the program at the DI level. The Black and Gold have now won 12 of their last 14 games, and the Bulldogs' 5-0 record against the Northeast Conference marks the program's best league start since the team began playing a full conference schedule in 2009-10.
» Road Warriors: Bryant is second in the nation when it comes to true road wins, taking six victories on unfriendly courts. Entering this week's action, that number ties the Bulldogs with Albany, Bucknell, Louisiana Tech, Murray State, Stephen F. Austin and Texas-Arlington, while Stony Brook leads the Division I ranks with seven true road wins in 2012-13. Bryant's six victories on opposing territory already trump the team's road-win total from the last three seasons combined (4) and is just a single true road win shy to tying all previous road victories at the Division I level (7 since 2008-09).
» Tremendous Turnaround: Bryant is the most improved team in the nation when it comes to pure win turnaround, as the Bulldogs already boast 10 more wins in 2012-13 than it had a season ago. The next highest number for win improvement is eight from Towson.
» And Then There Was One: Bryant is the last remaining unbeaten in the Northeast Conference, with a 5-0 start to the league slate.
» Bracketology Breakthrough: Bryant appears on ESPN's Bracketology with Joe Lunardi for the first time ever this week.
» RPI Update: The Bulldogs are up to No. 114 in this week's RPI rankings, the highest of any NEC team.
» Movin' On Up: The Bulldogs are ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 for the third-straight week, holding fast at No. 21 for the second week in a row. Bryant first cracked the prestigious list 25 for the first time program history on Dec. 31, and Bryant is the only NEC team to appear in the poll.
FRANCIS FANTASTIC
It's no secret that junior forward Alex Francis is one of the Bulldogs' top threats, but the Harlem, N.Y. native surpassed even those already lofty expectations last week, averaging a double-double with 21 points and 12.5 rebounds per game to guide Bryant to a pair of wins as the Bulldogs stay red hot. Francis posted his best game of the year last Saturday at Central Connecticut, pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds — the most single-game rebounds by any player in the program's Division I history — while also scoring a season-high 26 points, 20 of which came in the second half alone. For his efforts, the former NEC Rookie of the Year earned his first Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week selection, marking the third-straight week that the honor has gone to a Bulldog. His hot streak goes beyond last week, though. Over the last four games, Francis is averaging 22 points and 9.8 rebounds per outing, shooting 62.5 percent from the field and having posted three 20+ point outings, including a game-high 25 (11-12) Thursday night against The Mount.
HIGH FIVE
For the third time this season, five different Bulldogs posted double-digit points Thursday night against Mount St. Mary's. Jan. 10 at home against Quinnipiac, all five Bryant starters achieved the feat, while five players also finished with 10 or more points Dec. 22 against Dartmouth.
50/50
For the sixth time this season, the Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent from the floor Thursday night against the Mountaineers, hitting 58.3 percent of their shots (28-48). Bryant also shot better than 50 percent in both halves for the fifth time in 2012-13 (.600; .526). The team has also converted better than 50 percent from 3-point range three times this season (vs. Binghamton, at Robert Morris, vs. Quinnipiac).
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.
UP NEXT
Bryant leaves the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center for its next matchup Thursday night, traveling to nearby Sacred Heart for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
