Bryant tops Mount, 79-78, in OT for 12th win

McLAUGHLIN'S TWO POINTS THE DIFFERENCE IN BULLDOGS' SEVENTH-STRAIGHT WIN, 79-78, OVER MOUNT ST. MARY'S IN OVERTIME

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With six ticks remaining in overtime, freshman Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) drove the lane and took the ball to the basket for his only points of the contest, lifting the Bryant University men's basketball team to a 79-78 victory over Mount St. Mary's Thursday night at Chace Athletic Center.

In an overtime period that included eight lead changes and four ties, Bryant (12-4, 5-0 Northeast Conference) held off a talented Mount St. Mary's (6-10, 1-4) team to earn its seventh-straight victory and remain unbeaten in conference play.

With just over five minutes remaining in regulation, a huge three-point play from senior point guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio) pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 11, 61-50. The Mountaineers would not go away, however, cutting it to single digits, 61-52, with 4:42 left on the clock.

Two more Mountaineer layups shifted the momentum in favor of the visitors as the lead dropped to just five, 61-56, with 3:27 left, and a huge backdoor cut from Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) pushed the Bryant edge back to seven. But Mount St. Mary's shooter Rashad Whack wasted no time knocking down back-to-back trifectas, bringing the visitors within just one with under two minutes to play.

Starks answered the visitors' push with a drive and finish to beat the shot clock, but it was Whack who once again responded with a basket of his own, cutting the margin to one, 65-64, in Bryant's favor with 60 seconds to go.

Dobbs knocked down a pair from the charity stripe to lengthen the Bulldog advantage, 67-64, with 59 ticks remaining, but an improbable 3-pointer from Shivaughn Wiggins with 10 seconds left in regulation knotted the game at 67-67 when the final buzzer sounded.

In extra time, The Mount got on the board first, knocking down one of two from the line. Starks hit a pair of his own from the stripe to grant Bryant the brief 69-68 lead before a broken play turned into a Mountaineer bucket with under four minutes remaining, marking the first field goal of overtime.

The Mountaineers turned a Bryant giveaway into a 72-69 lead, their largest since the first half, but Dobbs answered right back with a triple to knot the score at 72-72 with 2:29 to play.

Wiggins got into the lane and finished on the right side to push the lead back in favor of the visitors, 74-72, but forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) – the night's leading scorer with 25 points – would not let the game slip away, as a huge and-one from the junior put Bryant back on top, 75-74, with less than two left in the extra frame.

The Mount responded right back, but more clutch free throws from Dobbs left the Bulldogs up, 77-76, as the clock ticked down to the one-minute mark.

Julian Norfleet would not be denied, though, as he lifted the Mountaineers to a 78-77 edge with a layup with 22 seconds remaining in the game. But with the shot clock turned off, McLaughlin took control of the ball, taking on pressure in the paint to kiss a layup off the glass and claim a lead that would stick for the Black and Gold, 79-78.

Francis's 25 points came on 11-of-12 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds. Starks finished with 18 points, 16 coming in second half, while junior Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) added 13 points and a game-best nine boards of his own. The Bulldogs finished with five in double figures for the third time this season, as Dobbs added 10 with a season-best eight assists and sophomore Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) chipped in 11 more before fouling out in overtime.

Wiggins led the Mountaineers with 20 points, while Whack added 17 to go along with three boards and three steals.

Bryant shot an impressive 58.3 percent from the field while Mount St. Mary's finished at 52.5 percent on the night. The Bulldogs edged the visitors on the boards, 30-24, while the tough Mountaineer defensive forced the Black and Gold into a season-high 20 turnovers.

Bryant, who has now won 12 of its last 14 games, will have only a few brief days to enjoy the victory as the Bulldogs prepare for a Saturday tilt against a tough Wagner side at 4 p.m. as the second leg of a doubleheader at the Chace Athletic Center.