#3 Bulldogs host #6 Sacred Heart in NEC Quarterfinal Wednesday on MSG+, Cox and Fox College Sports (7 p.m.)

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The third-seeded Bryant University men's basketball team hosts sixth-seeded Sacred Heart University in the Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Wednesday night at the Chace Athletic Center. The 7:03 p.m. tip will be broadcast live on Fox College Sports, MSG+ and Cox Sports and can also be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.

THE SERIES
The Bulldogs have more history against the Pioneers than against any other team in the NEC, having matched up against Sacred Heart 30 times dating back to the 1965-66 season. Sacred Heart owns an 18-12 advantage in the all-time series and a 10-4 edge at the Division I level, though the series is tied, 9-9, in Smithfield. The Pioneers swept the Bulldogs in 2014-15 regular-season action, and this is the first time these teams have met in the postseason.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
NEC All-Rookie Team selection Cane Broome leads Sacred Heart with 14.2 points per game, while all-conference third teamer Evan Kelley adds 13.6 ppg and De'Von Barnett chips in 10.7 ppg. Tevin Falzon is the team's top rebounder at 7.7 rpg, and Broome (42), Steve Glowiak (61) and Phil Gaetano (42) represent a trio of deep threats for the Pioneers. Barnett and Jordan Allen (8.6 ppg) both shoot better than 55 percent from the floor, while Gaetano dishes out 5.7 assists per game to a high-powered SHU offense (73.4 ppg).

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 12-6 against the Northeast Conference in 2014-15 and sport a 43-62 record (.410) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 57-79 (.419). 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. SACRED HEART
The Bulldogs are 0-2 against the Pioneers this season, suffering an 83-66 loss at home on Jan. 24 before falling in overtime, 84-75, in Fairfield, Conn., Feb. 7. While Bryant never led in the first meeting of the year at the Chace Athletic Center, the Bulldogs led by as many as 17 before a second-half comeback from Sacred Heart to force overtime at the Pitt Center. Senior guard Dyami Starks (20.5 ppg) and sophomore forward Dan Garvin have led the Black and Gold against SHU on the year, with the latter averaging a double-double (17.5 ppg, 14.0 rpg). Garvin picked up two of his six double-doubles on the year against Sacred Heart (20p/13r; 15p/15r), while Starks scored 26 last time the teams faced off. Redshirt-freshman Bosko Kostur has also chipped in 20 points in a pair of outings, while junior point guard Shane McLaughlin averages 6.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 9.5 points per outing when facing the Pioneers. As a team, the Bulldogs average 70.5 points per game with a .406 shooting clip but have allowed Sacred Heart to shoot 51.2 percent en route to 83.5 points per game.

QUICK HITS
» Triple Dog Dare: Bryant has now qualified for the NEC Tournament in all three years of eligibility. Not only have the Bulldogs qualified, they have also earned first-round hosting rights by finishing in the league's top four all three seasons.

» Hoping for History: The Bulldogs are still in search of their first NEC Tournament victory, despite being the higher seed in each of the last two quarterfinals.

» Home Sweet Home: Home teams are 25-6 in the NEC Quarterfinals over the last seven seasons, and the Black and Gold have posted an 8-5 record inside the Chace Athletic Center in 2014-15, including a 7-2 mark against NEC competition.

» Close Call: When games stay close, the Bulldogs have shown they have a tendency to come out on top. Of the Bulldogs' 15 wins this season, 12 have come by 10 points or fewer. In games decided by five points or fewer, Bryant is 6-1 on the year.

» Wednesday Woes: In three previous tries this season, Bryant has yet to win a game played on a Wednesday.

» 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.

» On the Rebound: For just the season time this season, the Bulldogs were outrebounded Saturday against St. Francis Brooklyn, 47-33, but still pulled out the 61-51 victory. The only other time Bryant has been beaten on the glass in a win was at home against Wagner on Jan. 15. The Bulldogs won the game, 81-73, despite being edged on the glass, 38-32.

» Hold On Tight: The Bulldogs forced the Terriers into 20 turnovers Saturday afternoon, the most Bryant has forced out of any Division I opponent since getting 20 giveaways from Sacred Heart back on Jan. 14, 2010.

» Just Enough: Bryant converted just 35.4 percent (17-48) of its shots from the floor against the Terriers Saturday, but it was just enough to get past the league's top seed, who shot just 30.2 percent (19-63), the lowest opponent shooting percentage the Bulldogs have allowed this season. The victory marked just the second time this year Bryant has shot less than 40 percent from the field and won (.392 vs. FDU, 73-60 win).

» Winning Without the Three: For just the fifth time this season, the Bulldogs converted fewer than five 3-pointers Saturday against St. Francis Brooklyn, but the abnormally low trey total (2-for-14) didn't affect the Black and Gold's outcome in the 61-51 win. Surprisingly, Bryant is 4-1 when draining fewer than five from beyond the arc.

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 18.5 points per contest (536 points). The Duluth, Minn., native is second among all active NEC players in points scored with 1,650 (18.3 ppg) and boasts 1,738 with a 15.8 scoring average in his collegiate career.

CHARITY CASE
For the third time this season and second time in as many games, senior guard Dyami Starks was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in Saturday's 61-51 win over top-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn, marking just the third time in the Bulldogs' Division I program history that a player has gone 100 percent from the line (minimum 10). Starks also did so Jan. 29 against the Red Flash, and the senior hit 12-of-13 from the line at Wagner Jan. 19. Starks is on pace to graduate as the program's all-time leader from the line, currently converting 87.6 percent of his lifetime free throws (261-298). His .911 clip in 2014-15 not only leads the NEC and ranks seventh in the nation, but would also set a new single-season program record if it holds.

STUCK ON STARKS
In addition to his leading mark at the line and despite having played in Smithfield for just three seasons, senior guard Dyami Starks has left an indelible mark not just on the program's Division I record books, but on its all-time program records. Starks ranks in the all-time top-10 in career free throw percentage (first, .876), scoring average (fourth, 18.3), 3-pointers made (fourth, 273), total points (seventh, 1650) and field goals (10th, 558).

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 10 contests and is averaging 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 31 minutes per game through the team's last 11 outings. The springy 6-foot-7 wing has also shot an efficient 50.5 percent (47-93) from the floor and 44.4 percent (16-36) 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 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.

BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Three Bryant players rank in the NCAA's top-100 across a number of categories at the conclusion of the 2014-15 regular season. Senior guard Dyami Starks enters 2015 postseason play ranked 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 (.911, 1st), eighth in minutes per game (37:47, 1st), 37th in points per game (18.5, 1st) and 78th in 3-point percentage (.341, 2nd). Sophomore forward Dan Garvin ranks 81st in rebounds per game (7.8, 3rd) and 55th in offensive boards per game (3.03, 4th), while junior guard Shane McLaughlin is 39th in minutes per outing (36:12, 3rd) and 56th in assists per game (4.7, 3rd). As a team, the Bulldogs rank 24th in free throw percentage (.747, 1st), 72nd in turnovers per game (11.6, 1st), 77th in 3-point defense (.320, 3rd) and 80th in 3-pointers per game (7.2, 3rd).

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. After one more trey against St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday, Starks remains in sole possession of ninth in the all-time rankings with 273 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 13 more treys. Already, 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. Including his rookie season at Columbia, Starks now has 292 career trifectas, which is good for seventh among all active Division I players.

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game tickets are still available for the 2015 Northeast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments. 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.