GAME NOTES
SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team closes out a three-game homestand Saturday afternoon against regional and NEC rival Sacred Heart. The 4:00 p.m. tipoff from the Chace Athletic Center can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com and heard on WOON 1240 AM.
THE SERIES
The Bulldogs have matched up against the Pioneers more than any other team in the NEC, and Sacred Heart holds a 16-12 advantage in a series that dates back to the 1965-66 campaign. Sacred Heart and Bryant first faced off in the programs' Division II days, where 16 of the 25 contests between these sides took place. In 12 Division I meetings, Bryant has won just four, but enters Saturday's tilt having swept the 2013-14 season series and having won three of the last four.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The league leader in scoring offense (71.8 ppg), Sacred Heart boasts three of the NEC's top-15 scorers, including top rookie sensation Cane Broome (13.8 ppg). Evan Kelley (13.3) and De'Von Barnett (11.7) round out the team's double-digit scorers, as the Pioneers also boast the conference's top point guard in Phil Gaetano (5.7 apg, 5.3 ppg). Tevin Falzon paces the side on the glass (6.8 rpg, 7.0 ppg), and three Pioneer shooters convert at a clip above 50 percent (Jordan Allen, .600, 8.6 ppg; Filip Nowicki, .558, 3.7 ppg; Barnett, .541, 11.7 ppg). As a team, SHU shoots 45 percent from the floor but allows opponents nearly 74 points per game.
CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. SACRED HEART
Six current Bulldogs have seen action against the Pioneers in their careers, with four of them facing off against Sacred Heart more than once. Senior sharpshooter Dyami Starks leads the way, averaging an impressive 22.8 points per game in four career outings against the Pioneers, converting 48.5 percent of his lifetime shots (33-68) and hitting more than 40 percent of his attempts from long range (13-32). Senior guard Joe O'Shea averages 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with 55 percent shooting (11-20) over four contests, while juniors Shane McLaughlin (3.0 ppg) and Curtis Oakley (2.3 ppg) have also matched up against Sacred Heart on multiple occasions. Current Bulldogs are shooting a lifetime .487 (56-115) from the field, .346 (18-52) from 3-point land and .704 (19-27) from the free throw line against the Pioneers.
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 6-1 with a five-game winning streak in Northeast Conference play in 2014-15 and sport a 37-57 record (.394) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 51-74 (.408). Entering Saturday action, Bryant is tied with preseason favorite St. Francis Brooklyn for first place in the league standings.
O'SHEA, McLAUGHLIN HAVE BIG NIGHTS VS. LIU BROOKLYN
Senior Joe O'Shea led the Bulldogs to their fifth-straight NEC victory Thursday night, picking up his first double-double of the year and second of his career with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. The captain also tied his career mark for threes in a game (4), playing all 40 minutes against the Blackbirds. Junior point guard Shane McLaughlin played an instrumental role of his own in the win, tying his season high with 12 points while also tying his career mark with a season-best eight assists.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
Despite boasting one of the NEC's top scoring threats and a top-5 scoring duo in seniors Dyami Starks (17.2) and Joe O'Shea (10.6), the Bulldogs have been winning games not for their offensive prowess, but rather for their defensive efforts. Bryant, who ranks just eighth in the league at 64.5 points per game, is third in the NEC in scoring defense (65.1) and tops in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 42 percent accuracy on the year. The Black and Gold also ranks second in 3-point defense (.306), a number that is also good for 53rd in the nation.
STARKS HITS MORE MILESTONES
Dyami Starks is nearing yet another major career milestone. The senior guard is just five points away from scoring 1,500 in his collegiate career and is on pace to hit the mark before his 100th career game. But that isn't all. With 98 career appearances entering Saturday action — 78 of which have come in a Bryant uniform — Starks also netted his 500th career field goal Tuesday night against Harvard (511) and needs 16 more baskets to do so as a Bulldog. He drained his 250th career 3-pointer against the Crimson (254; 235 at Bryant) and also hit his 200th free throw as a Bulldog (219 in career).
JANUARY JUICE
January has proven to be a good month for the Bulldogs over the last few years, and 2014-15 is no exception. Now 6-2 on the month and in first place in the Northeast Conference, Bryant is a combined 18-6 in the first month of the year over the last three campaigns, including a 18-5 mark in league action. The team's six NEC wins this January have come by an average margin of 12 points.
GOING STREAKING
Bryant enters Saturday's contest riding a five-game winning streak in Northeast Conference action, and a win over Sacred Heart would tie for the team's best league start through seven contests. The 9-8 Black and Gold have been surging as of late, having now won six of eight contests in 2015 and eight of their last 11 dating back to Dec. 9.
REGULAR JOE
Senior Joe O'Shea has been on fire for the Bulldogs over the last eight contests, averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting more than 53 percent from the floor (41-77). The guard has registered double-digit points six times in January and eight times in the last 11 games, surpassing 20 points in a contest for just the second time in his career Jan. 8 against Saint Francis U. (career-high 21). O'Shea picked up just the second double-double of his career Thursday night in a win over LIU Brooklyn, including pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds (15 points). He has recorded 19 points twice since the start of NEC play and averages a team-leading 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in NEC action.
STARKS CLIMBS NEC'S ALL-TIME RANKINGS
Bryant senior guard Dyami Starks is also closing in on a major NEC milestone. After becoming the 50th player in NEC history to reach 200 career 3-pointers back on Dec. 3, Starks has been working his way up the league's all-time list. With 235 trifectas over the course of his career at Bryant (2+ seasons), Starks now sits alone in 21st in the conference's all-time rankings. To reach the top-20, the Minnesota native needs to hit just four more treys. Already, Starks is Bryant's Division I leader in threes, and after sinking four Tuesday night against Harvard, the senior moved into fourth on the all-time list. Including his rookie season at Columbia, Starks now has 254 career trifectas.
TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game ticket packages are still available for the 2014-15 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Tickets can be purchased online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-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. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2014-15 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge, high-definition broadcasts of all Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard, state-of-the-art graphics and brand-new DVR functionality. Visit necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.
BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the seventh 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
The Bulldogs hit the road and will play the next three games in western Pennsylvania, starting with a Thursday, Jan. 29 meeting with Saint Francis U. in Loretto, Pa. The 7:00 p.m. contest can be seen live and free-of-charge at NECFrontRow.com.
