LED  BY FRANKIE DOBBS' THIRD CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE, MEN'S BASKETBALL EARNS 16TH WIN OF SEASON

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Behind a huge double-double from senior point guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio), the Bryant University men's basketball team earned its 16th victory of the season, 84-77, over St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

All knotted up, 68-68, with six minutes to play, a big dunk from senior Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine), followed up by a 3-point play from junior Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) pushed the Bulldogs (16-6, 9-2 Northeast Conference) in front, 73-68, with less than five minutes left.

After four-straight points from St. Francis, sophomore Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) put in his 21st point of the night to extend the Bryant edge to three, 75-72 with 2:29 remaining on the clock. Another 3-point play from Francis increased the Bulldog advantage to six, 78-72, with less than two minutes to play.

After trading baskets through the one-minute mark, the Terriers were forced to foul finding themselves down six points. Clutch free throws from junior Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) granted Bryant an eight point lead, 82-74, with 28 ticks remaining until the final buzzer.

After a corner 3-pointer from Aleksandar Isailovic, Starks buried a pair from the line to solidify the 84-77 win for Bryant.

Starks led all scorers with 25 points (all in the second half) on 9-of-15 shooting, 5-of-7 from deep, while Dobbs registered his third career double-double, posting 12 points and a career-high 13 assists. Francis put up 23 points and seven rebounds, with Maynard adding 12 points, and Kondratyev finished with eight points and seven boards. This marks the fourth time this season that the Bulldogs had two 20-point scorers in the same game.

Bryant shot 53 percent from the field, while the Terriers finished at 45 percent for the game, including 13-of-31 (42 percent) from 3-point range. The visitors outrebounded the hosts, 37-32, but Bryant's ball control throughout the game proved to be the difference as the Bulldogs only turned the ball over nine times in 40 minutes.

Isailovic led the Terriers with 16 points, while Ben Mockford added 15 points off the bench. Jalen Cannon put up 13 points and nine rebounds and Travis Nichols finished with 12 points and 9 boards.

The Bulldogs found themselves up seven, 24-17, behind a quick 10 points from Francis nearly halfway through the opening frame Thursday evening. Bryant's aggressive play seemed to frustrate the visiting Terriers early, but sharp 3-point shooting from St. Francis Brooklyn kept the game close early on.

The onslaught from deep by the Terrierrs continued as they continued to shoot well from behind the 3-point arc (7-for-11), knotting the score, 28-28, with 7:34 remaining until the halftime break.

In the final minutes before the break, both teams traded baskets as a Mockford triple granted St. Francis a brief one-point advantage, but two free throws from Dobbs just before the buzzer put Bryant in front, 38-37 at halftime.

Francis led all scorers at the break with 12 points and three boards, while Maynard and Dobbs each added 10. Nichols paced the Terriers with 10 points and Mockford added nine off the bench.

After going scoreless in the first half, Starks wasted little time getting things going in the second, knocking down three buckets, including a pair of triples. However, the Terriers were able to counter every Bryant advance as the Bulldogs held a slim, 52-50 advantage with 14:05 left on the clock.

Starks continued to carry the Bulldogs in the second frame, pouring in 13 points through less than eight minutes into the second half as Bryant's edge remained slight, 57-54, with less than 12 minutes to play.

Seven-straight points by the Terriers granted the visitors a brief lead, but a huge put-back by Francis pushed the Bulldogs back on top, 61-60 with less than 10 minutes to play. Both teams took their turn holding the lead through the eight minute mark, but it was St. Francis which found itself up, 65-64, with 7:48 remaining in the contest.

The Bulldogs will have a few days to enjoy the victory before hosting Sacred Heart in the final leg of a Bryant basketball doubleheader on Sunday at the Chace Athletic Center. Tip is set for 4 p.m.

For all the latest news on the Bryant University men's basketball team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.