Grant's late three forces OT, but Bulldogs held off by Saint Francis U, 86-82

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, but NEC preseason favorite Saint Francis U held on in overtime to defeat the Bryant University men's basketball team, 86-82, Sunday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

Senior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) recorded his first-career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) matched his career-high with 22 points. Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) tallied a career-best 12 assists.

GAME INFORMATION
Saint Francis U 86, Bryant 82 (OT)
Records: Bryant (1-14, 0-2), Saint Francis U (7-6, 1-1)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant trailed 25-23 before closing the first half on a 13-4 run that included three-pointers from freshman Brandon Carroll (Brewster, N.Y.), Kostur and senior Gus Riley (Nelson, New Zealand).
• The Bulldogs led by as many as nine in the second half before the Red Flash took back the lead with 2:03 remaining on a pair of free throws to go up 75-74.
• Grant's deep three-pointer with 10.6 seconds remaining in regulation forced overtime.
• The teams were tied at 79 before five straight Saint Francis points to take control of the overtime session.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bryant trailed 11-5 before threes from Kostur, junior Taylor McHugh (Centreville, Va.) and Grant tied the game at 14 with 11:57 to go in the first half.
• With the game tied at 16, a McHugh three and Townes layup gave the Bulldogs a five-point lead at 21-16.
• Saint Francis responded with a 6-0 run to take the lead back and led 25-23 before the Bulldogs took the lead back and pushed it to seven at the half at 36-29.
• Bryant held Saint Francis to 36.7 percent from the floor in the first half and outrebounded the Red Flash 23-17. The halftime lead was the largest since a 42-33 advantage in the Nov. 24 win at Hartford.
• Townes tallied nine points in the first 3:06 of the second half to give Bryant a 45-38 lead, but Saint Francis responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game.
• Bryant pushed the lead to nine twice before Saint Francis cut it to three at 67-64 with 6:20 remaining.
• Saint Francis took its first lead of the second half at 75-74 with 2:03 remaining on a pair of free throws.
• With Saint Francis leading 77-74, Grant hit a deep three-pointer from in front of the Bulldog bench to tie the game with 10.6 seconds remaining in regulation and force overtime.
• The teams traded the first two baskets of overtime before Saint Francis scored the next five points. A layup by McHugh cut the deficit to 84-81 with 2:14 remaining. The Red Flash would close out the game at the free-throw line.

STATS

• Kostur tallied 23 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for his first-career double-double.
• Townes matched his career-high with 22 points on 10-of-16 from the floor.
• Grant and McHugh had 11 points each, with McHugh matching his season-high and Grant adding six rebounds.
• Ndugba had seven points, nine rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.
• Bryant shot 45.8 percent from the floor, while Saint Francis U shot at a 52.4 percent mark.
• The Bulldogs held a 40-34 advantage on the boards – their highest total of the season.

GAME NOTES

• Bryant falls to 8-9 all-time against Saint Francis U.
• Kostur passed Frankie Dobbs and Dyami Starks to jump from 10^th to eighth in Bryant's Division I history with 302 career rebounds.
• The game was the Bulldogs' first overtime contest of the season.

UP NEXT
Bryant continues NEC play Thursday at 7 p.m. with a trip to Emmitsburg, Maryland, to face Mount St. Mary's.

Tickets are available starting at just $5 for the Bulldogs' game Jan. 11 vs. Wagner through an online-only Holiday Ticket Special promotion by clicking HERE.

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