Bryant, Mount St. Mary's write next chapter Thursday night on ESPNU (7p)
Special to Bryant Athletics
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – There is never a dull moment when Bryant and Mount St. Mary's get together on the hardwood. The two will write the next chapter in their budding rivalry Thursday night in Emmitsburg, Md., on ESPNU (7:00 p.m.).
The Bulldogs and Mountaineers have quickly become a must-watch matchup since becoming pals in the Northeast Conference for the start of the 2008-09 season. A quick look at the all-time series shows that Mount holds a 9-6 lead, but a deeper look shows just how exciting the games have been.
One has to look no further than Jan. 5 of this year when Bryant and Mount met for the first time this season in Smithfield. It was one for the ages as the Black and Gold seemed to have the game in hand thanks to nine-straight points from Bosko Kostur with just over six minutes to go. The Mountaineers, however, answered with a 14-point run to grab a five-point lead with 3:21 left.
The final three played out in typical Bryant-Mount fashion with the Bulldogs clawing their way back within one thanks to a Kostur three. A controversial technical foul on the Mountaineers with just 47 seconds left changed the complexion of the game as Bryant scored three-straight points from the free throw line to tie the game with 25 seconds left. Mount then had a chance for the win but Dan Garvin's block, one of many big plays in this series, with five seconds left spurred a run out the other way and Garvin was fouled. He eventually hit one of two free throws and Mount's last-second three hit the back rim.
The series has been filled with games like these. Bryant penned one of the most impressive victories in its Division I history last January when it erased a 20-point second-half deficit and go on to win a double-OT thriller in Emmitsburg, a place the Bulldogs had never won before. Shane McLaughlin tied the game with under a second left in regulation, not the only time he's made an impact in this series, and Gus Riley knotted things up with two free throws at the end of the first overtime. McLaughlin would add six more in the second OT as Bryant emerged with an 82-79 victory.
Thursday's meeting on ESPNU won't be the first for these two teams either. Bryant and Mount also played on ESPNU on Feb. 5, 2015 at the Chace Athletic Center. The two teams put on the quite the show for the raucous crowd in Smithfield as the Bulldogs held on for a 55-53 victory. McLaughlin added another big play in the series, grabbing a defensive rebound off a Gregory Graves miss with just a second left to seal the win.
It was more of the same at home for the Bulldogs in 2014 as Alex "Franchise" Francis led all scorers with 25 points in a 78-75 victory for Bryant. The two teams were scheduled to play five days later in Maryland but weather caused the game to be postponed and played on a Monday night. The Mountaineers shot 54 percent from the floor on their way to a commanding 88-73 victory.
But any good Bulldog fan knows that this rivalry really got started during the 2012-13 season, Bryant's first as a fully eligible Division I program. Bryant and Mount opened the two-game series in Smithfield and the Black and Gold pulled out a thrilling 79-78 overtime victory thanks to a young freshman named McLaughlin.
Bryant led by 11 with just over five minutes to go but the Mountaineers sent the game to overtime with a Shivaughn Wiggins three with just 10 seconds left. In overtime, Julian Norfleet, a Mount legend, gave the visitors a one-point lead with 22 seconds to go. But it was McLaughlin, who made a name for himself in this series, that had the last laugh. The rook raced down the floor with the shot clock off and deftly spun the ball off the glass and in with just six seconds remaining for his only two points of the night. Oh, the others on the court at the time were future 1,000-point scorers Francis, Dyami Starks, Frankie Dobbs and Corey Maynard.
But this series hasn't been all sunshine and roses for the Black and Gold. The next two meetings between Bryant and Mount have taught the Bulldog Faithful that much. Sam Prescott effectively changed Valentine's Day to "Sam Prescott Day" on Feb. 14, 2013 as he scored a career-high 44 points in Mount's 84-70 victory. He finished the game 16-of-24 from the field and 10-of-14 from three to help the Mount knock Bryant out of first place in the Northeast Conference standings.
Bryant and Mount then met in the quarterfinal round of the NEC Tournament, one of the most important games in the Bulldogs' young Division I history. With the Chace Athletic Center bursting at the seams, the Black and Gold raced out to a seven-point halftime lead thanks to 14 first-half points from the Franchise. Mount, however, answered back with an 11-4 run to start the second half and eventually went on to earn a 75-69 victory.
That night in March of 2013 may have ended in a Mountaineers victory but it was also the building block for one of the best rivalries in the NEC today. From the Francises and Zouzouas to the Whacks and Robinsons, Bryant-Mount St. Mary's is never one you want to miss, so be sure to tune in to ESPNU on Thursday night when they write the next chapter.