Bulldogs stumble against Hawks

BULLDOGS STUMBLE AGAINST MONMOUTH, FALL, 78-68, SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Down by 12 with 15:15 to play, the Bryant University men's basketball team reeled off 10-straight points over a span of five minutes, but the late heroics would not be enough to top visiting Monmouth University, as the Bulldogs fell, 78-68, on Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

Staring at as much as a 13-point deficit early in the frame, the Bulldogs' 10-0 stretch was part of a longer 13-2 run during which Bryant (2-20, 1-9 Northeast Conference) saw three different players find the basket to cut the score to 55-53. But the Hawks (6-17, 4-6 NEC) would never let the home side any closer, countering with seven-straight points to renew a healthy lead before eventually prevailing by the 10-point margin.

Junior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio) collected his second-straight 20-point game in the outing, finishing the afternoon with a contest-best 23 points and six assists. Sophomore Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) was the only other double-digit point-getter for the Bulldogs, dropping 19 to compliment five boards, a career-high four assists and an 8-for-8 mark from the free throw line. Redshirt-freshman Troy Robinson (Roslindale, Mass.) tied his career mark with a game-best seven boards and added five points with a pair of steals.

Monmouth saw three different players record double-digit scoring, highlighted by Jesse Steele's 22-point outing. Dion Nesmith and Austin Tillotson both added 11 points for the visitors, while the former hauled in a team-high six boards.

The Bulldogs finished the afternoon shooting 38.3 percent from the field (18-of-47) but made a season-high 86.2 percent of its free throw opportunities, going 25-of-29 from the charity stripe while four Bryant players were perfect in their efforts at the line. The sharpshooting Hawks converted 54.5 percent of their shots from the floor with impressive 30-of-55 shooting. Bryant went 7-of-23 from downtown (.304) while Monmouth shot an even 50 percent from beyond the arc (6-of-12). The Hawks owned the edge in rebounding by a slim margin, 30-28, while the teams combined for 34 turnovers, with Bryant committing four more than its counterpart.

After ripping off 10-straight points to clip the Monmouth lead to just two points with 10 minutes to play in the contest, the Bulldogs couldn't keep up the pace, getting whistled for eight fouls in the final minutes. Bryant would cut the Hawks' advantage to five, 73-68, with 43 seconds left, but would get no closer before the final buzzer.

In the opening stanza, the teams exchanged leads four times before sophomore Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) tied the game for the sixth time at 23-23 on a 3-pointer with 9:25 remaining in the half. But the momentum would swing sharply in favor of the visitors from that point, as Monmouth employed a 12-0 run over the span of 3:31 to take a 35-23 lead with 5:54 remaining in the frame.

Bryant wouldn't score another basket before the intermission, but got 10 points from the line in 11 chances for a 44-33 halftime deficit. The Bulldogs finished the stanza at a 0-of-8 clip from the field – including 0-for-4 from long range – despite starting the game with hot 7-of-10 shooting from the floor. Bryant's 25 makes from the line in the game marked a new season high, while Dobbs' 9-of-11 performance tied his career best from the stripe.

The Bulldogs continue Northeast Conference action next on the road, opening February play in a battle with conference powerhouse LIU Brooklyn on Feb. 2 (7 p.m.).