CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Rafael Pinzon scored 22 points, while Keyshawn Mitchell and Barry Evans finished with double-doubles as the Bryant men's basketball team defeated Tennessee State, 97-85, on Tuesday afternoon at McKenzie Arena.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 4-3 on the year. Bryant will now face Chattanooga on Wednesday in a de facto Coke Classic Championship game. Tip is set for 2:00 p.m.

Pinzon finished with 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three, leading a Bulldog team that hit a season-high 14 from beyond the arc. Mitchell had a career-day of 16 pts and 13 reb, while Evans added 15 and 12. Connor Withers chipped in 17 points, while Kvonn Cramer collected 12 points and five rebounds in just 18 minutes.

Game Information
Bryant 97, Tennesse State 85
Records: Bryant 4-3 | Tennessee State 3-5
Location: McKenzie Arena (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Attendance: 274

Key Moments

• Bryant made 10-of-13 to start the second half on a 29-13 run to open a 22-point lead.

How it Happened

• Withers hit a three to open the scoring for Bryant and was a sign of more to come.
• The teams would then trade leads over the rest of the first half. Withers tied the game at 14-14 with a three at the 15:58 mark and Bryant would go on to take a 21-16 lead on a Mitchell three.
• TSU would battle back to take a 29-27 lead with 8:45 left but Withers answered with a three to give the Bulldogs the lead they would not relinquish.
• Back-to-back threes from Withers and Pinzon would put Bryant up 38-29 and force a TSU timeout with 5:45 left.
• Evans would knock down a three with 43 seconds left to give Bryant a 46-40 lead at the break.
• An Evans three and six points from Mitchell pushed Bryant's lead to 55-42 under four minutes into the second half.
• Pinzon then swished a three from the corner to give the Bulldogs a 20-point lead, 73-53, with 11:19 left.
• Bryant's lead would reach 22 with 10:45 left before the Tigers went on a 17-3 run over the next 4:03 to make it an eight-point game.
• TSU's press forced five Bryant turnovers and the Tigers took advantage, going 5-of-8 from the field.
• Kam Farris came off the bench to give Bryant some breathing room, hitting threes one minute apart to give Bryant an 88-74 lead with 3:52 to play.
• The Tigers would cut the deficit to nine before Cramer put home a two-hand slam with 2:37 left to put Bryant back up 11.

Stats

• Bryant finished the game 35-of-67 (52.2 percent) from the field, 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) from three and 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) from the line.
• Bryant held a 47-31 advantage on the glass, including a 16-12 edge in offensive boards.
• Bryant had a 24-10 advantage in second-chance points.
• The Bulldogs did turn the ball over 21 times in the game.
• Pinzon led Bryant with 22 points on 6-of-15 shooting. He was 4-of-5 from three.
• Withers finished with 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three. He added four rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
• Mitchell collected a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. He had six offensive rebounds.
• Evans also had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. He added four assists.
• Cramer posted 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 18 minutes.

Game Notes

• Bryant and Tennessee State were meeting for the first time in program history.
• The Bulldogs were playing in the state of Tennessee for the first time in program history.
• Bryant's 14 three-point field goals were a season high.
• Pinzon recorded his 36^th career double-digit scoring effort.
• Pinzon posted his 2^nd 20-point effort of the year and the 9^th of his career.
• Timberlake notched his 59th career double-digit scoring effort.
• Timberlake now has 914 career points as a Bulldog. He is tied with SaBastian Townes for 10^th in DI program history.
• Withers matched his season-high with four three-point field goals.
• Withers finished in double figures for the fifth time this year and the 42^nd time in his career. His 16 points were a season high.
• Evans has now finished in double figures in six of the seven games this year.
• Evans matched his season-high with three 3pFG. He is now 13-of-27 from three on the year.
• Evans posted his second double-double of the year.
• Mitchell finished with career highs in points (15) and rebounds (13) for his second double-double of the year. The 13 rebounds are the most by a Bulldog this year.
• Cramer blocked a season-high three shots. His 12 points were also a season high.

Up Next
Bryant will face Chattanooga on Wednesday afternoon in the final game of the Coke Classic. Tip is set for 2:00 p.m.