Sunday showdown with Navy up next for Bryant
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Bryant University men's basketball team travels to Annapolis, Maryland, for a Sunday matinee against Navy. The Bulldogs will look to even their season record at 2-2 after a win over Saint Peter's in Wednesday's home opener.
The Particulars
Opponent: Navy
Location: Alumni Hall (Annapolis, Md.)
Date and Time: Sunday, Nov. 18 – 2 p.m.
TV: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Game Notes: Bryant | Navy
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #12Seven4 | #NECMBB
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
Navy picked up its first win of the young campaign Wednesday when the Midshipmen downed Coppin State. Navy was defeated by Old Dominion on opening night and fell to Maryland at Alumni Hall November 9 in the Veterans Classic.
George Kiernan leads Navy at 11.3 points per game, while John Carter Jr. has added 8.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Midshipmen have been limited to 35.1 percent shooting through their first three games.
THE SERIES
Bryant and Navy will be meeting for the fifth time Sunday. The Midshipmen hold a 3-1 series advantage after last season's 79-71 victory over the Bulldogs in Smithfield. Bosko Kostur tallied 25 points for Bryant in the defeat.
THE BIG DOG GAME
Sunday's game is of special significance to Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley. President Machtley is a 1970 graduate of the United States Naval Academy who served five years in the US Navy and 20 more in the US Naval Reserve. Machtley would go on to serve three terms in the US Congress before being named Bryant's president in 1996.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 71, SAINT PETER'S 63
Coach Grasso brought juniors Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) and SaBastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) off the bench and they both produced, scoring 18 points each with Townes collecting his first career double-double as Bryant was victorious in Wednesday's home opener.
FRESHMAN GLASS
Freshman Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) leads all NEC rookies with 8.3 rebounds per game this season. Harding grabbed 10 boards in his debut at Rhode Island and collected nine in Wednesday's win over Saint Peter's.
START ME UP
Eight different Bulldogs have made at least one start through Bryant's first three games of 2018-19 with junior Juan Cardenas (Medellin, Colombia) and freshman Joe Kasperzyk (New Haven, Conn.) starting all three contests to begin the year. Bryant's freshman class has combined for six starts between three from Kasperzyk, two from Patrick Harding and one from Kyle Cardaci (Holmdel, N.J.), who made his first career start Wednesday.
ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
In the 2017-18 season, SaBastian Townes and redshirt-sophomore Brandon Carroll (Bronx, N.Y.) combined to go 7-for-40 on three-pointers with Carroll recording all seven makes. Wednesday, the duo went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, with Carroll making three and Townes draining two. Townes went for 18 points while Carroll added 13, both season-highs.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Junior Adam Grant moved into within five points of Bosko Kostur for eighth in Bryant's Division I era in scoring Wednesday. Kostur scored 890 points from 2013-18. Grant needs 11 points Sunday to pass three players and move into sixth: Kostur, Cecil Gresham and Dan Garvin.
Grant passed Dyami Starks Wednesday for eighth in Bryant's D1 era in assists with 159.
UP NEXT: BROWN
Bryant will return to action after Thanksgiving with a Sunday evening contest at Brown. The 6 p.m. tip can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on WOON AM 1240 & 99.3 FM.
Season and single-game tickets for home games at the Chace Athletic Center are available by clicking HERE or calling (401) 319-TIXX. Bryant's next home game is Wednesday, Nov. 28, when the Bulldogs host Yale at 7 p.m. Tickets for the game between Bryant and Yale can be purchased HERE.
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