Bulldogs topped by the Mountaineers, 77-70, Thursday on ESPNU

EMMITSBURG, MD. – Mount St. Mary's opened up the second frame on a 14-3 run due to a scorching 6-for-7 mark from the floor to take a 10-point lead, and though the Bryant University men's basketball team cut the margin as little as three, it trailed the final 18:36 in Thursday's 77-70 Northeast Conference loss.

Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) paced the Bulldogs (8-16, 5-6 NEC) with a game-high 25 points behind six triples and a 9-for-16 effort from the floor. Freshman Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) netted 15 points and grabbed six boards, junior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) tallied 11 points and senior Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) scored six and snared six boards.

The Mountaineers (12-12, 10-1) were fueled by their starting backcourt of Elijah Long, Miles Wilson and Junior Robinson. The trio combined for 55 points led by Long with 21 and seven rebounds. Wilson netted 19 on an 8-for-10 mark from the floor and Robinson scored 15. Chris Wray added nine points and grabbed a contest-best 11 rebounds in the win.

The Bulldogs overcame an early 12-0 run by the Mountaineers inside a raucous Knott Arena and took a 38-37 lead into halftime. But the hosts came out firing in the second half connecting on their first five shots, as the three-headed monster of Long, Robinson and Wilson initiated the scoring.

Following a Grant triple, Long answered with a three of his own to kickstart a 9-0 run capped off by two layups from Wray to give the Mount a 53-43 edge with 15:37 to play. The Bulldogs could not get any closer than eight over the next six minutes, until consecutive threes from Zouzoua and Kostur made it a 60-55 game with 9:00 remaining.

Zouzoua's sixth trey of the night cut the deficit to three points, 65-62, two minutes later. Long scored the next two baskets for the Mount, then Grant got stolen to set the hosts up with a fast break. Long lobbed a pass for Wilson in transition after the turnover and an alley-oop slam sent the crowd into a frenzy and the lead to eight points, 71-64, with 3:27 to play.  

The Bulldogs did not go quietly, as they trimmed the deficit to three once again with 1:12 to go. But they were forced to foul when a whistle against reset the shot clock at the end of lengthy possession and just over 40 seconds to play. Robinson and Long each netted two free throws in the final 32 seconds to solidify the victory.

Bryant will look to get back on track Saturday afternoon when they travel to Sacred Heart for a 3:30 start.