Bulldogs play in Subregional rounds of Legends Classic, take on host Eagles Monday night

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team resumes Legends Classic play with the Sub-regional rounds, taking on host Eastern Washington on Monday at 9:05 p.m. eastern time.

THE SERIES
Monday's matchup marks the first between the Eagles and the Bulldogs. Bryant has never taken on a member of the Big Sky Conference. 
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern Washington is a lengthy team with no player shorter than 6-foot-3 and is led by a trio of double-digit scorers. Junior guard Bogdan Bliznyuk leads the team with 17.0 points per game and is shooting over 50.0 percent from the floor. He adds 5.0 boards and a team-high 3.7 assists per game. Redshirted senior forward Jacob Wiley nets 12.3 points per game on a scorching .652 clip from the floor and is the leading rebounder with 5.3 per contest. Senior forward Felix Von Hofe nets 11.7 points per game and is shooting just under 50.0 percent from three (10-for-21). The three have started all three games, as has redshirted junior guard Sir Washington, who is scoring 3.7 points per outing and dishes out 2.0 assists while grabbing 3.7 rebounds a game. The Eagles have attempted just 71 threes so far this season, having played quality teams such as Texas and Northwestern. But Eastern Washington finished eighth nationally last year with 924 three-point attempts and fifth in the country with 10.5 made triples per game.   

YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST
The Bulldogs have played an opponent for the first time 69 times since becoming a Division I program in 2008-09. In those initial matchups, Bryant is 15-44 against first-time opponents.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs battled at No. 14/14 Gonzaga, taking an early 9-8 lead and cutting a 19-point first half lead to trail by just 12 at halftime, 50-38. After cutting the game to just 10 points with 15 minutes to play, the Zags flexed their muscles and took advantage of fouls to sink 34 free throws and outscore Bryant, 59-32, in the second half and win easily, 109-70. Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua had a contest-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while freshman Adam Grant kept the Bulldogs within striking distance thanks to 17 first-half points behind four triples. Sophomore Marcel Pettway had his first double-digit performance of the season with 10 points, and senior Dan Garvin scored nine to go along with seven rebounds.  

QUICK HITS

» Shots For Charity: The Bulldogs were not blessed by the whistle gods in Friday's loss at No. 14/14 Gonzaga. The Zags went to the line 45 times, marking the first time in Bryant's Division I history that it allowed an opponent to shoot more than 40 free throws. 

» Just Let It Go: The 23 turnovers against No. 14/14 Gonzaga on Friday tied for the second most in a game in Bryant's Division I history. The most was 25 at Robert Morris on Feb. 6, 2012, and the Bulldogs have been forced into more than 20 turnovers in a game just 11 teams at the DI level.  

» Double the Digits, Double the Fun:  After not having five double-digit scorers in a game since Dec. 9, 2014 against Army, the Bulldogs produced five double-figure scorers three times last season, including three of four games with the last coming at Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 9. Five Bulldogs scored in double-figures against Salve Regina on Nov. 15, marking the 20th time that has happened in the program's Division I history, as Bryant is 18-2 in such games. 

» Wide Margin: The 27-point victory over Salve Regina on Nov. 15 tied Bryant's Division I record for its largest victory, having done so four times (twice against the Seahawks). The Bulldogs also had 10 steals against Salve, marking the first time they have theft an opponent at least 10 times since Dec. 5, 2015. 

» You Can Tell Everybody, I'm the Dan, I'm the Dan, I'm the Dan: Senior forward Dan Garvin may have had just four points in Bryant's season opener at Notre Dame on Saturday, but he also pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds. The 12 caroms are not only the most by a Bulldog in a season opener in the program's Division I history, but they are the most by a Bulldog in a season opener since 2003. 

» Hulk Bash: Sabastian Townes was stellar off the bench in his collegiate debut on Saturday against the Fighting Irish. The rookie had 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a 6-for-11 effort at the line. He scored 10 points in the second half and tied sophomore Nisre Zouzoua and Alex Francis ('14) for the most points scored by a Bryant freshman in his debut in the program's Division I history. 

THE PUPPIES GROW UP SO FAST
This year's freshmen have taken little time to make their mark on the team. Following in the footsteps of reigning NEC Rookie of the Year Marcel Pettway and fellow NEC All-Rookie Team selection Nisre Zouzoua, guards Ikenna Ndugba (6.3 ppg),  Adam Grant (15.3 ppg) and Tanner Johnson (1.7 ppg) along with bigman Sebastian Townes (12.7 ppg) have fit into the mix to make up 48.6 percent of the team's point production this year. Townes leads the squad with a 68.4 shooting percentage and he, Ndugba and Grant have combined for eight starts through the first three games. 

BULLDOGS TO PLAY IN THE 10th ANNUAL LEGENDS CLASSIC
For a second-consecutive season, the Bulldogs will compete in a major tournament to kick off the new campaign, as it participates in the 10th annual Legends Classic. With a combined 83 NCAA Tournament appearances and six Final Fours among the four regional hosts, the eight-team tournament is headlined by Notre Dame, Colorado, Texas and Northwestern. The Bulldogs will take on the Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. on Nov. 25 in the second regional matchup. Prior to that collision, Bryant will complete the Subregional Rounds, hosted by Eastern Washington. The Bulldogs will play the host Eagles on Monday, Nov. 21, as the Subregional Consolation Game and Championship Game will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Louisiana Monroe and Seattle will join the Eagles and Bulldogs at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. for the Subregional Rounds. In the Championship Rounds held at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, Notre Dame will face Colorado in the first semifinal, followed by Texas taking on Northwestern on Nov. 21. The consolation and championship games will take place on Nov. 22.

WARE DID HE GO
Junior wing Hunter Ware was feeling it when the lights shined at their brightest in 2015-16. Of his four 20-point outings last season, two came in TV games. Ware began the season scoring 24 points against then No. 5/4 Duke on an ESPN3 broadcast, then netted a career-high 26 points at Michigan on Dec. 23 as part of a BIG 10 Network telecast. Ware played at Harvard on ESPN3, at then No. 15/18 Providence on Fox Sports 1, at Wagner on CBS Sports Network, against Robert Morris on ESPN3 and against Fairleigh Dickinson on MSG+, scoring 10, 14, 11, 15 and 14 points, respectively. Strangely enough, his zero points at RV/RV Notre Dame on Nov. 12 in an ACC Network/ESPN3 telecast marked the first time in his career that he was held scoreless in a game in which he either played more than 14 minutes or attempted more than four shots (was 0-for-6 in 23 minutes). He was also held scoreless at No. 14/14 Gonzaga on Nov. 18 (0-for-4 in 21 minutes) in a ROOT Sports and ESPN3 game, marking his first three-game stretch playing double-digit minutes in which he has failed to total at least 10 points.    

LOOKING TO REBOUND 
Bryant outmuscled the Irish on the glass in the season opener, 37-34, marking the first time it had opened a season on the right side of the glass battle in a season opener since becoming a Division I member. The Bulldogs were outrebounded in 25 of their 31 games last season, losing the battle on the glass in each of the first 12 games to begin the year. It marked the first time in the program's Division I history the team had opened a campaign on the short side on the glass in 12-straight outings. The last time the Bulldogs were outboarded in more than seven-straight games at any point in a season was back in 2011-12, when the team lost the battle on the boards in nine-consecutive games from Nov. 27-Jan. 5. To find the last time the squad was outrebounded in 12 or more straight contests, you must look all the way back to the 2009-10 season, when the Bulldogs lost the board battle in 20 in a row from Dec. 3-Feb. 13. 

BULLDOGS ANNOUNCE 2016-17 NATIONAL BROADCAST PACKAGE
The Bryant University men's basketball team will be featured on live national and regional broadcasts six times throughout the 2016-17 season, including three times as part of the 33-game NEC TV package. The Bulldogs will appear on ACC Network Extra against Notre Dame to open the season on Nov. 12. Bryant will play against No. 14/14 Gonzaga on Nov. 18 on ROOT Sports and ESPN3 before taking on Northwestern on Nov. 25 as part of a BTN2GO.com broadcast. The matchup at Ohio on December 3 can be seen on ESPN3 and the Bulldogs will then get national exposure during a nine-day timeframe in league action. The team opens its trio of NEC TV contests with a road matchup against Central Connecticut on Jan. 25 (MSG+/FCS) before hosting Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 28 on MSG and Fox College Sports. Bryant will then play in the first of two NEC matchups featured on ESPNU when it visits Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 2.

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are available for the 2016-17 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-TIXX.

NO TICKET, NO PROBLEM
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference are once again affiliated with the Pack Network and 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 90 Bryant University home contests during the 2016-17 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 DVR functionality. Visit NECFrontRow.com for more information and a complete schedule of events. 

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the ninth 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 alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.

ON TAP
The Bulldogs continue their four-game roadtrip with Legends Classic play, as they wrap up the Sub-regional rounds against either Seattle or Louisiana Monroe in the early game set for Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. eastern.