BRYANT LOOKS FOR SENIOR DAY WIN SATURDAY AT 1 P.M.

FULL GAME NOTES
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Live Stats: bryantbulldogs.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday

THE PARTICULARS
The Bulldogs host Saint Francis University in the all-important regular-season finale and 2013 Senior Day, as Bryant fights to secure home court advantage to open next week's Northeast Conference Tournament. A win over the Red Flash would solidify a top-four finish for the Black and Gold, and Saturday's game tips off from the Chace Athletic Center at 4:00 p.m.

THE SERIES
Bryant holds the 4-2 series edge over the Red Flash in six all-time meetings after the Bulldogs took this year's series opener, 78-58, Jan. 5 at DeGol Arena. The Black and Gold have taken three of their four wins over Saint Francis U. in Loretto, but the series is tied at 1-1 in just two previous meetings in Smithfield.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
Saint Francis U. enters Saturday's game having fallen to Central Connecticut in double overtime Thursday night and look to play the roll of spoiler as the Bulldogs look to secure home court advantage with a win in the finale. Umar Shannon paces the Red Flash on the year and is one of two double-digit scorers, averaging 11.2 points per game. Earl Brown chips in 10.4 points per outing  and leads the team on the glass with 8.3 boards each time out, while also putting up 25 blocks. On the season, Saint Francis averages just 62.3 points per game and is shooting 41.5 percent with a .344 mark from downtown. The Red Flash also average just 30.2 rebounds per game.

LAST TIME AGAINST SAINT FRANCIS U. (January 5, 2013)
Junior forward Alex Francis scored a game-high 21 points while sophomore Dyami Starks added 18 as the Bryant University men's basketball team topped Saint Francis University, 78-58, at DeGol Arena.
 
Senior guard Frankie Dobbs chipped in 11 points for the Black and Gold, while Francis and junior Corey Maynard each pulled in a side-best seven rebounds. SFU's Earl Brown recorded the only double-double of the day with 12 points and a contest-best 15 boards, while Umar Shannon scored 13 to lead the Red Flash.

Bryant built up a 22-8 advantage early in the first half and kept Shannon off the board until the 3:26 mark, dropping in four treys in the frame to take a 40-18 lead into the halftime break. And while the Bulldogs started the second half out slowly, picking up seven fouls and committing four turnovers in the first five minutes, Saint Francis could cut the lead no closer than 49-33 with just under 14 minutes left to play, as Bryant quickly regained a 20-point advantage that would hold through the final whistle for the 78-58 margin.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 11-6 against the Northeast Conference in 2012-13 with a 26-59 record against current league members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current NEC schools, the Bulldog basketball program is 54-113 (.323), having most frequently faced off against former Northeast-10 Conference (DII) member Quinnipiac (18-43).

QUICK HITS
» Home Sweet Home: The Bulldogs wrap up a three-game homestand and the 2012-13 regular season with Saturday's finale against Saint Francis U. The game plays a huge role in whether Bryant will host an opening round NEC Tournament game, and the Black and Gold control their own fate with a win guaranteeing a top-four conference finish.

» Playoff Picture: Currently in the midst of a four-way tie for second place in the NEC standings, the Bulldogs can end up anywhere from the third to the sixth seed in the upcoming conference tournament, depending on the outcome of Saturday's games around the league. A win over the Red Flash would guarantee Bryant either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed, and thus a first-round home game. The Bulldogs could still host should they lose, but in only one scenario and with a lot of help around the league. To lose Saturday and still finish fourth, Bryant would need LIU Brooklyn to beat Quinnipiac and would need both Wagner and Mount St. Mary's to lose.

» Dancing in Year One: In the history of the NCAA tournament, only seven teams have ever qualified for the Big Dance in their first year of full DI eligibility — Seattle (1953), Memphis (1956), Morehead State (1956), UMass (1962), Long Beach State (1970), Louisiana-Lafayette (1972) and North Dakota State (2009). The Bulldogs begin their battle to join that elite group Wednesday in the Northeast Conference Quarterfinals.

» NCAA Record Looming as Bulldogs Headline NCAA's DI Men's Basketball Most Improved Team List: With an 18-10 overall record entering the final stretch of the regular season, Bryant currently boasts a Division I-best 17.0-game difference from last season (2-28) to this one. The NCAA Division I record for Most Improved Team from one season to the next stands at 17 games, set by Mercer in 2002-03 and matched UTEP in 2003-04. One more win would guarantee the Bulldogs at least a tie of that record, and Bryant would break this mark and set a new NCAA standard for Most Improved Team ­should they win their last two guaranteed games, regardless of how far into the postseason the team plays.

» Tremendous Turnaround: The NCAA equation for most improved also takes number of losses into consideration, but Bryant remains the most improved team in the nation when it comes to pure win turnaround as well. The Bulldogs currently boast 16 more wins in 2012-13 than it had a season ago.

» Double Vision: Junior Alex Francis recorded his ninth double-double of the year and his second in as many games with his side-high 22 poinst and game-best 11 rebounds Thursday night. Francis now has 25 double-doubles in his career, and the forward has reached the acheivement five times in the last eight games.

» Race to 500: Sophomore leading scorer Dyami Starks needs to score just a single point Saturday against the Red Flash to reach 500 on the 2012-13 season. If and when he hits the mark, he would become the second Bulldog in as many years to finish a season with 500 or more points, after teammate and current junior Alex Francis scored 509 in 2011-12. For Francis to accomplish the feat again in this season, he will need to score a combined 22 points over the next two guaranteed games (currently at 478). No other Bulldog has scored 500 points in a season in the Division I era.

» Did You Know? The last time two Bryant players scored 500 points in the same season was back in 1978-79, when Ernie DeWitt (531) and John Mangum (514) teamed up for the feat.

» Sharpshooters: With their 59 percent shooting clip Thursday night against the Colonials, the Bulldogs jumped into the nation's top-20 for team field goal percentage, leading the NEC and ranking 19th in Division I at 47.5 percent.

» 50/50: For the 13th time this season, the Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent from the floor Thusrday night, hitting 59 percent against Robert Morris. On the year, Bryant has shot better than 50 percent in both halves nine times — including Thursday — and converted 50 percent or better from 3-point range four time this season (vs. Binghamton, at Robert Morris, vs. Quinnipiac, vs. Wagner).

» Leaps and Rebounds: The Bulldogs outrebounded their opponents for the 15th time this season Thursday night, and Bryant's 38-22 margin marked the largest of the season. Bryant is 7-5 when losing the battle on the glass but 11-4 when finishing with a rebounding edge, and the Bulldogs have outrebounded an opponent by double figures eight times in 2012-13.

» NEC Improvement Records Fall: Monday's victory over Sacred Heart broke the Northeast Conference record for win improvement from one year to the next, previously at 15 games. Central Connecticut went from four wins in 1997-98 to 19 in 1998-99 to set the previous mark. Limiting the scope to just conference play, Bryant's 10-game jump — from 1-17 last season to 11-6 entering Saturday's game — now ties LIU Brooklyn for the top spot in the 32-year history of the league. The Blackbirds set the record in 1997, going from five NEC wins to 15 league victories en route to the NEC title. Bryant would break that mark, too, with a win over the Red Flash.

» Charge to 20: Yet another landmark achievement the Bulldogs would reach should they win their final two guaranteed games would be the 20-win campaign. Bryant has yet to put together such a season in the Division I era, and the last team to do so was the 2006-07 Bulldogs, who finished the year at 21-11. Director of Basketball Operations Chris Burns was a senior captain on that team and was the Bulldogs' leading scorer (15.8 ppg).

» 18 and Counting: The Bulldogs keep improving on their Division I single-season wins record, picking up their 18th victory of the year at home against Sacred Heart Monday night. Bryant has now won more games this season than in the last three campaigns combined (12). The Bulldogs entered the 2012-13 season with just 20 total wins in their brief Division I history.

MILESTONE WATCH
» Alex Francis: Hit his 700th-career rebound against the Colonials Thursday, just four days after surpassed the 1400-career point mark Monday night. The forward has a chance to reach 1500-career points this season if the Bulldogs make a postseason run (1430).
» Corey Maynard: Picked up his 600th-career point Monday against Sacred Heart, and after Thursday's performance needs just three more 3-pointers to reach 100 in his career and eight more assists to hit the 250 mark. The Aussie also pulled down his 300th-career rebound Feb. 21 against Central Connecticut.
» Frankie Dobbs: Barreled through his 100th-career steal with a seven-theft performance Monday night (now 106) and hit his 1200th point Thursday against Robert Morris (now 1205). He is now only 18 assists shy of 500 all time.
» Dyami Starks: Netted his 100th-career trifecta Monday and needs just a single point for 500 on the season.
» Vlad Kondratyev: Grabbed his 350th-career rebound Thursday night and is just five points shy of 600 in his career.

TWENTY SOMETHINGS
Four Bulldogs have combined to record 20 or more points in a game 25 times this season, including in 10 of the last 101contests and most recently against Robert Morris Feb. 28 (Francis, 22). Sophomore sharpshooter Dyami Starks leads the way with 12 such outings, including eight in which he has matched or surpassed the 25-point mark, while junior Alex Francis has nine. Senior Frankie Dobbs has also chipped in three this year, including a career-high 27 points in a win over Monmouth Feb. 2. Sophomore transfer Joe O'Shea joined the trifecta with his career-best 21-point outing against the Seahawks Feb. 16.

Two players have recorded 20+ points in the same contest four times, including Feb. 7 against the Terriers, with Starks (25) and Francis (23) teamming up for the feat. Starks (20) and Francis (21) also paired up at Lehigh Dec. 29, while Starks (29) and Dobbs (26) did so at Robert Morris Jan. 3 and repeated the feat with 20 and 24 points, respectively, at home against Quinnipiac Jan. 10.

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 is guaranteed one more game this season, and the Bulldogs will make their first NEC Tournament appearance Wednesday. Where, when and against who is all still to be determined.