GAME NOTES
SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The third-seeded Bryant University men's basketball team advances to its first-ever NEC Semifinal after a 91-85 double-overtime thriller against sixth-seeded Sacred Heart in Wednesday's quarterfinal. The Bulldogs take on second-seeded Robert Morris University Saturday at 12:00 p.m. for the right to move on to the NEC Championship. The noon tip will be broadcast live on Fox College Sports and MSG as well as online at NECFrontRow.com. Catch the Bryant radio feed on WOON 1240 AM or online at bryantbulldogs.com.
THE SERIES
This is the 12th all-time meeting and first postseason matchup between the Bulldogs and the Colonials, with Robert Morris holding a commanding 9-2 edge in the series. The teams split the regular-season set, with both sides coming away victorious on the road. Bryant won at the Sewall Center, 71-68, back on Jan. 31.
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris boasts a trio of All-NEC Second Teamers in its three top scorers, with junior Rodney Pryor (15.3) leading the way, followed by NEC Rookie of the Year Marcquise Reed (15.2) and senior Lucky Jones (14.5). Jones also paces the team on the glass with 6.2 boards per game. Kavon Stewart is the team's top distributor at 4.3 assists per game (5.7 ppg), while Elijah Minnie (6.5 ppg) leads the squad on the block (30). Jones, Reed and Pryor are all threats from deep, while Minnie and Aaron Tate (4.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg) shoot better than 50 percent from the floor on the year.
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 13-6 against the Northeast Conference in 2014-15 and sport a 44-62 record (.415) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 58-79 (.423). Bryant finished the regular-season tied with Robert Morris for second overall in the league standings but clinched the No. 3 seed in the 2015 NEC Tournament due to tiebreaker procedure.
THIS SEASON vs. ROBERT MORRIS
Less than a month after taking a 71-68 win over the Colonials in Pennsylvania, Robert Morris returned the favor on Bryant's home court with a 76-70 victory Feb. 21. Senior guard Dyami Starks (18.0 ppg) and sophomore forward Dan Garvin (15.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, .867 FG%) have led the Black and Gold against RMU on the year, while redshirt-freshman Bosko Kostur (12.5 ppg, .529 FG%) and junior point guard Shane McLaughlin (10.5 ppg) also average double figures in a pair of outings. McLaughlin has been arguably the most solid all-around player against the Colonials, also averaging 8.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and playing all but three minutes through two contests. As a team, the Bulldogs average 70.5 points per game with an impressive .520 shooting clip (.444 from 3-point range) but have allowed Robert Morris 72 points per game despite a 42 percent clip from the floor, thanks to a 27-of-30 mark from the free throw line this season. The Colonials also average three more rebounds (32.0) than the Bulldogs (29.0) in the season series.
QUICK HITS
» Third Time's A Charm: Bryant has now qualified for the NEC Tournament in all three years of eligibility, winning it's first-ever Division I postseason game Wednesday in the NEC Quarterfinals. Not only have the Bulldogs qualified, they have also earned first-round hosting rights three years running by finishing in the league's top four.
» Free Basketball: Bryant and Sacred Heart needed two extra frames to decide Wednesday's 91-85 final margin, marking the second time in three meetings this season the teams couldn't decide the result in regulation. Wednesday's NEC Quarterfinal marked the Bulldogs' first double-overtime contest of the program's Division I era. Bryant's last overtime win came Dec. 14, 2013 in a 90-80 decision at Navy.
» Shooting Show: The Bulldogs threw up a season-high 71 shots in 50 minutes of action against the Pioneers Wednesday, the most field goals attempted since Bryant registered 81 shots at LIU Brooklyn back on Feb. 24, 2011.
» 20 is Plenty: Senior captains Joe O'Shea (career-high 23) and Dyami Starks (22) each finished with more than 20 points in Wednesday's Quarterfinal victory. The performances marked the first time this season two Bulldogs have posted 20 points or more in the same game.
» Scoring Frenzy: The Bulldogs surpassed the 90-point mark for the first time this season and the first time since posting 95 at FDU on Jan. 18, 2014 in Wednesday's 91-85 victory.
» Close Call: When games stay close, the Bulldogs have shown they have a tendency to come out on top. Of the Bulldogs' 16 wins this season, 13 have come by 10 points or fewer. In games decided by five points or fewer, Bryant is 6-1 on the year.
» Three's Company: Bryant was the only program to place players on all three all-conference teams and one of just two squads with a trio of All-NEC picks in 2015. Senior guard Dyami Starks earned his third-consecutive all-league accolade but first All-NEC First Team nod, while sophomore forward Dan Garvin and senior guard Joe O'Shea garnered the first year-end league honors of their careers. This marks the third-straight season the Bulldogs have seen three named All-NEC selections, and the trio of accolades now brings Bryant's program total to 12 since becoming eligible for postseason honors in 2009-10. Check out the full note below for details on the three Bulldogs who turned heads this season, according to the ballots.
WHO IS THAT MASKED MAN?
The nation was asking the same question after Wednesday night's double-overtime thriller, when a masked man of a different style nailed an off-balance, desperation 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in regulation to send the NEC Quarterfinal between Bryant and Sacred Heart into extra frames.
Wednesday's hero was none other than senior guard and captain Joe O'Shea, whose improbable, game-tying, buzzer-beating trifecta knotted the game at 63-63 and propelled the Bulldogs to the eventual 91-85 win (career-high 23 points). And while the shot would garner national attention, becoming the No. 2 play on ESPN's Top-10 Plays and getting more than 20,000 views on YouTube, the mask — and his stellar play behind it — is nothing new to O'Shea. The senior guard has been sporting the protective covering for the last nine games after breaking his nose in a hard-fought 71-68 victory over Robert Morris Jan. 31, but his stats don't reflect the nuisance. With the mask, O'Shea is averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game with a .448 shooting percentage from the field and .360 clip from 3-point range. He is 86.8 percent from the line with 24 assists, three blocks and eight steals since donning the clear protection, averaging 36.3 minutes of floor time per game.
CAREER NIGHTS ABOUND IN 2OT THRILLER
Five different Bulldogs set or tied 13 career highs in Wednesday night's double-overtime win over Sacred Heart at the Chace Athletic Center. Senior guard Joe O'Shea was the game's leading scorer, dropping in a career-high 23 points as one of three personal bests (minutes, 50; FT made, 10). Junior point guard Shane McLaughlin reset a quartet of career highs, including points (18), field goals made (7), field goals attempted (16) and minutes (50), while redshirt-freshman Bosko Kostur's game-best nine rebounds were one of two personal marks set (steals, 2). Senior guard Dyami Starks (blocks, 1; field goals attempted, 25; minutes, 48) and sophomore forward Andrew Scocca (rebounds, 9) also joined in with career numbers. The Black and Gold also set season highs in points (91) and field goals attempted (71) while tying the team mark with 45 rebounds, just one shy of tying the program's Division I record.
HOLD ON TIGHT
After forcing top-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn into 20 turnovers in last Saturday's regular-season finale — the most Bryant has forced out of any Division I opponent since Jan. 14, 2010 — the Bulldogs were stellar in maintaining their own possessions in Wednesday's NEC Quarterfinal, giving the ball away just 11 times despite playing 50 minutes in the double-overtime win. Most impressive was the control of junior point guard Shane McLaughlin, who committed just a single turnover while playing the full 50 minutes, scoring a career-high 18 points while also dishing out five assists with one steal. The Bulldogs lead the league with just 11.6 turnovers per contest in 2014-15.
SMITHFIELD 500
For the third-straight season, senior guard and All-NEC First Team selection Dyami Starks has both led the Bulldogs in scoring average and finished the season with more than 500 points. In his first season as a Bulldog after tranferring from Columbia, Starks came in and scored a lights-out 17.7 points per game, totalling 548 points to lead the side as a redshirt-sophomore. But that was just the beginning. Starks would up that number to a team-leading 18.9 points per game as a junior last season (566 points) and this season has not only led the team, but the entire NEC at 18.6 points per contest (558 points). The Duluth, Minn., native is second among all active NEC players in points scored with 1,672 (18.4 ppg) and boasts 1,760 with a 15.9 scoring average in his collegiate career.
BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Three Bryant players currently rank in the NCAA's top-100 across a number of categories entering Saturday's NEC Semifinal. Senior guard Dyami Starks ranks 14th in the national statistics for threes per game (3.10, 1st in NEC). The Duluth, Minn., native also ranks seventh in free throw percentage (.913, 1st), seventh in minutes per game (38:08, 1st), 34th in points per game (18.6, 1st) and 74th in 3-point percentage (.338, 2nd). Sophomore forward Dan Garvin ranks 77th in rebounds per game (7.9, 3rd) and 51st in offensive boards per game (3.10, 4th), while junior guard Shane McLaughlin is 25th in minutes per outing (36:40, 3rd) and 58th in assists per game (4.7, 3rd). As a team, the Bulldogs rank 17th in free throw percentage (.751, 1st), 71st in turnovers per game (11.6, 1st), 77th in 3-point defense (.316, 2nd) and 77th in 3-pointers per game (7.3, 2nd).
THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER
If it seems like redshirt-freshman forward Bosko Kostur has come out of nowhere to become a key cog in the Bulldog lineup, you aren't far off. After playing just a combined 55 minutes over the first 18 games of the season (10 appearances) and averaging only 2.1 points and 0.9 rebounds per game, Kostur has earned a starting spot in the last 11 contests and is averaging 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 31.3 minutes per game through the team's last 12 outings. The springy 6-foot-7 wing has also shot an efficient 50 percent (50-100) from the floor and 43.9 percent (18-41) from 3-point range over that span.
Kostur's breakout game came Jan. 29 at Saint Francis U. (18p, 7r, 32min), but he was truly spectacular against the NEC Champs in last Saturday's regular-season finale, scoring a game-best and career-high 23 points while draining 8-of-16 from the field (both career highs) in 35 minutes of action. Since first setting his career marks against the Red Flash, Kostur has reset nearly all of them.
STARKS ENTERS NEC'S ALL-TIME TOP-10
After becoming the 50th player in NEC history to reach 200 career 3-pointers back on Dec. 3, senior guard Dyami Starks has been working his way up the league's all-time list, officially joining the top-10 Feb. 21 at home against Robert Morris. Three more treys against Sacred Heart Wednesday night moved Starks past Justin Chiera (CCSU '06) and into sole possession of eighth in the all-time rankings with 276 trifectas over the course of his three-year Bryant career. To reach the top-5, the Minnesota native — who currently averages 3.1 triples per game — needs to hit 10 more treys. Starks is Bryant's Division I leader in threes, and the senior moved into fourth on the program's all-time list on Jan. 20, needing just six more to tie for third all time with current assistant coach Chris Burns ('07). Including his rookie season at Columbia, Starks now has 295 career trifectas, which is good for seventh among all active Division I players.
IRONMEN
Of the four players to have started in every appearance this season — seniors Joe O'Shea and Dyami Starks, junior Shane McLaughlin and sophomore Dan Garvin — all four are averaging better than 30 minutes per game. Three Bulldogs — O'Shea (33.9), McLaughlin (36.6) and Starks (38.1) — are each logging 33 minutes or more on the year, and those numbers jump even higher when it comes to conference-only action. The Bulldogs boast the two top minute getters in NEC play in Starks (38.4) and McLaughlin (38.2), and O'Shea joins them in the top-5 at 35.6 minutes per game. Throw in Garvin's 30.8 per contest mark (31.6 in league play), and all four Bulldogs rank inside the league's top-20 both in overall and conference-only minutes played. Five different Bulldogs have played 40 or more minutes in a game on 21 occasions, including eight times from Starks and seven from McLaughlin. The pair both rank in the NCAA top-50 for minutes per game.
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.
