Ndugba tallies career-high 26, but Bryant comeback bid held off by CCSU in 80-76 defeat

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) scored a career-high 26 points and sophomore Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) added 24, but a second-half comeback bid fell just short in the Bryant University men's basketball team's 80-76 loss to Central Connecticut Saturday at Detrick Gymnasium.

GAME INFORMATION
Central Connecticut 80, Bryant 76
Records: Bryant (2-17, 1-5), Central Connecticut (9-10, 2-4 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium (New Britain, Conn.)

KEY MOMENTS

• Central Connecticut used a 12-2 run to turn a 10-0 tie into a 22-12 advantage midway through the first half.
• Bryant trailed 42-41 before a 12-3 Central Connecticut run pushed the margin back to 10.
• CCSU led by 14 before a 17-6 Bryant run brought the Bulldogs back within three. Bryant held CCSU to six points over a span of 6:51.
• The Bulldogs were within three in the final minute, but the Blue Devils closed out the victory from the free-throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• An 8-0 CCSU run pushed the Blue Devils lead to 18-10 with 11:01 remaining in the first half.
• Central Connecticut led 22-12 before the Bulldogs took the lead at 33-32 with 1:40 to go in the half on a Grant basket. The Blue Devils would take a 34-33 lead into the locker room.
• The teams traded baskets through the early stages of the second half before a 12-3 spurt from the Blue Devils gave CCSU a 54-44 lead with 12:24 to go.
• Central Connecticut led 63-49 with 9:46 remaining before the Bulldogs stormed back on a 17-6 run to cut the deficit to three at 69-66 with 2:55 to go after five straight points from Ndugba.
• The teams would trade baskets before Ndugba's fourth three-pointer of the night brought the Bulldogs back within 74-71 with 44 seconds remaining.
• Bryant would get a look to tie at 76-73 with 16 seconds to go, but a three-pointer from sophomore Tanner Johnson (Lexington, Ky.) was just off the mark and CCSU closed out the four-point victory from the free-throw line.

STATS

• Ndugba's career-high 26 points came on 9-of-12 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
• Grant tallied 24 points, six rebounds and four assists.
• Freshman Monty Urmilevicius (Kaunas, Lithuania) had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds. Urmilevicius is averaging 6.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in four January games.
• Senior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) chipped in nine points, while Johnson added six.

GAME NOTES

• Bryant drops to 10-8 against Central Connecticut in the Division I era.
• Grant's 24-point outing was his fourth-straight game of 20 or more points, seventh on the year and 11^th of his career. Grant has scored 10 or more points 33 times in his career.
• The Bryant sophomore class – Grant, Ndugba, Townes and Johnson – is responsible of 57.3 percent of the Bulldogs' scoring this season.
• The starting lineup combination – Ndugba, Grant, Ware, Kostur and Urmilevicius – was the 13^th different starting five this season, which leads the nation.

UP NEXT
Bryant opens a two-game trip to Brooklyn with a Thursday night game at LIU Brooklyn. The 7 p.m. tip can be seen on NEC Front Row.

Tickets for the 2017-18 Bryant University men's basketball season are available by clicking HERE or calling (401) 319-TIXX. 

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