Bulldogs return home to host Siena Sunday at Chace Athletic Center
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's basketball team closes out its portion of the Houzz Gotham Classic Presented by TicketIQ when it hosts Siena Sunday at the Chace Athletic Center.
THE PARTICULARS
Opponent: Siena
Game Time: Sunday, Dec. 17 – 1 p.m.
Tickets: BryantBulldogs.com
Watch Live: NEC Front Row (Jon Wallach, Cam Boon)
Live Stats: BryantBulldogs.com
Game Notes: Bryant | Siena
SCOUTING THE SAINTS
Siena is 2-8 on the year with victories over Hofstra and Robert Morris. The Saints are 0-2 against common opponents with losses to Louisville and Albany.
Nico Clareth leads the Saints in scoring at 15.9 points per game and is shooting 82.1 percent from the free-throw line. Siena ranks third in the MAAC with 36.7 rebounds per game with Prince Oduro leading the team at 5.3 per game.
THE SERIES
Bryant and Siena are meeting for the second time in three years with both games taking place at the Chace Athletic Center. The teams met for the first time in the Division I era Nov. 21, 2015, with the Saints taking a 78-59 victory. Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.) had a team-high 17 points for the Bulldogs.
LAST TIME OUT: LOUISVILLE 102, BRYANT 59
Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) had his ninth-straight game in double figures in scoring with a 17-point outing, but the Bulldogs were defeated at Louisville Monday as part of the Houzz Gotham Classic Presented by IQ.
CARROLL-ING IN DECEMBER
Freshman Brandon Carroll (Brewster, N.Y.) has been an integral part of the Bulldog lineup in his three December starts. Carroll is averaging 13.0 points per game over his last three with at least 10 points and five rebounds in all three contests.
WE LIKE IKE
Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba is averaging 16.1 points per game over his last nine contests with at least 15 points in seven of nine. Ndugba has two double-doubles during the streak: a 16-point, 10-rebound outing at Hartford (11/24) and a 17-point, 11-assist performance at Memphis (12/9). The 11 assists against the Tigers were the most by a Bryant player since Shane McLaughlin's 12-assist night at LIU Brooklyn (2/27/16).
Ndugba passed Alex Francis for fourth in Bryant's Division I era in assists in the game at Albany (12/6) and now has 189 in his career. Ndugba ranks 56th in the nation in both assists per game (5.3) and 59th in steals per game (2.1).
KENPOM A FAN OF KOSTUR
Senior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) ranks 45th in the nation in KenPom's effective field goal percentage at 67.4. Effective field goal percentage is calculated by valuing made three-pointers at 1.5 times all other shot attempts. Kostur is shooting 52.5 percent from beyond the arc this season.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Freshman Ryan Layman (Wrentham, Mass.) has recorded six or more rebounds six times this season, including a career-high nine at Albany (12/6). Layman tallied a career-high 14 points at NC State (11/14) - his first career start.
NEXT UP: DARTMOUTH
Bryant plays its final non-conference game of the regular season when the Bulldogs travel to the Granite State for a Friday matinee at Dartmouth. The Bulldogs and Big Green will tip off at noon on the Ivy League Network.
Season and single-game tickets for the 2017-18 campaign are currently available by clicking HERE.
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