Ndugba's double-double, Townes' career night spark Bryant in 78-73 win at Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Sophomore Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) recorded a career-high 19 points, while sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) added his second-career double-double, as the Bryant University men's basketball team picked up its first victory of the year with a 78-73 win over Hartford Friday at Reich Family Pavilion.

GAME INFORMATION
Bryant 78, Hartford 73
Records: Bryant (1-4), Hartford (3-3)
Location: Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
Attendance: 951

COACH O'SHEA'S COMMENTS
"We didn't turn the ball over and had poise down the stretch. The hardest thing to do in college basketball is to win on the road. We start a freshman and three sophomores. Today was a big day for us to finish out a game against a quality opponent."

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant opened the game on a 13-3 run with all five starters scoring. Ndugba had five points in the opening spurt that led to a Hartford timeout at 16:30.
• Hartford cut it to within 37-33 with 1:42 to go in the half, but five straight Bryant points to close the half gave the Bulldogs a 42-33 advantage into the locker room.
• The Hawks brought it to within four again at 54-50 before a 12-2 Bulldog run gave Bryant a 14-point advantage, its largest of the second half.
• Hartford pulled within 73-70 with 2:54 to go, but the Bulldogs held the Hawks to three points the rest of the way to close out the victory,

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bryant led 18-5 in the early going with three players – Ndugba, senior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) and sophomore Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) – each with four or more points.
• The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points in the first half, jumping ahead 28-14 on a layup by senior Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.).
• A 10-2 Hartford run cut the Bryant lead to 37-33 with 1:42 to go in the half, but the Bulldogs responded with five points to close out the half. Senior Aram Martin (San Antonio, Texas) turned away a Hawk layup at the buzzer to send the Bulldogs to the locker room up by nine.
• Ndugba had 10 points and six rebounds in the first half as Bryant shot 53.1 percent from the floor.
• Hartford cut its deficit back within four at 54-50 with 12:37 to go, but a 12-2 run for Bryant pushed the lead back to double digits.
• A Hawk three-pointer brought Hartford to within three at 73-70 with 2:54 to go, and after three Bryant free throws, Hartford responded with another three to make it 76-73 Bulldogs with 20 seconds remaining.
• Bryant closed out the win with a pair of free throws for the final 78-73 margin.

STATS

• Ndugba tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high five assists.
• Townes had a career-high 19 points while grabbing six rebounds.
• Grant added 16 points while Kostur chipped in 12 and Ware had a season-high eight.
• Freshman Ryan Layman (Wrentham, Mass.) added six rebounds.
• The Bulldogs shot an even 50 percent from the field.
• Bryant did not trail in the contest.

GAME NOTES

• Bryant improves to 1-0 all-time against Hartford.
• The 42 first-half points were the most in a half this season.
• Friday marked the third time in four games Bryant had four players in double figures.
• Ndugba's double-double was the first by a Bulldog since his 11-point, 10-rebound performance vs. LIU Brooklyn Feb. 9, 2017.
• Ndugba is averaging 15.3 points per game over his last three contests.
• Grant was in double figures for the 25^th time in 37 collegiate games.
• Kostur had 10 or more points for the 34^th time in his Bryant career.
• Friday's game was the first this season in which Bryant did not win the opening tip.

UP NEXT
Bryant is back in action Sunday at 6 p.m. when the Bulldogs host Brown at the Chace Athletic Center. Tickets are available by clicking HERE and the game can be seen on NEC Front Row.

Season and single-game tickets for the 2017-18 campaign are currently available by clicking HERE.

Follow Bryant University men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look at the program.