Craig Chase/Bryant Athletics
Craig Chase/Bryant Athletics

Bryant held off by No. 13 Maryland, 84-70

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) scored 25 points thanks to seven three-pointers and redshirt-junior Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) added a season-high 19, but the Bryant University men's basketball team was held off by No. 13 Maryland, 84-70, in Sunday afternoon's non-conference finale, snapping the Bulldogs' four-game winning streak.

Grant hit seven of Bryant's 10 three-pointers in the contest. The Bulldogs matched a season-best with nine turnovers committed. Bryant concludes its non-conference schedule at 8-5, matching the highest non-league win total of Bryant's Division I era.

GAME INFORMATION
No. 13/12 Maryland 84, Bryant 70
Records: Bryant (8-5), Maryland (11-2)
Location: Xfinity Center (College Park, Md.)

COACH GRASSO'S COMMENTS
"I'm happy with where we are but not remotely satisfied. We go into league play now and we're 0-0. If we don't show up Thursday and Saturday for our first two league games, the strides we've made will mean nothing. 

"We're trending in the right direction – I like my group, I like their toughness, I like their character, I like how hard they play."

KEY MOMENTS

  • Bryant scored five straight points to pull within two at 30-28 with 1:51 to play before halftime.
  • A 15-5 Maryland run – seven straight for the home team, five for the Bulldogs and eight for the Terrapins – gave Maryland a 56-42 advantage with 8:37 to play. The Terrapins would lead by double digits the rest of the way.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Ndugba scored four early points to give Bryant a 6-3 lead with 15:25 to play in the half.
  • Maryland would score the next seven to go ahead 10-6 and would lead 16-11 before Grant scored the Bulldogs' next five points to pull within 18-16 with eight minutes to go before the half.
  • The Terrapins would push their advantage to seven at 25-18 and 30-23, but Bryant would score the next five to cut the deficit to two.
  • Maryland responded with a pair of three-pointers and Bryant received three free throws from junior Mikail Simmons (Murphy, Texas) to send the teams to the half with Maryland leading 36-31.
  • The Terrapins used a 7-0 run to build a 48-37 advantage before Bryant scored the next five, starting with an offensive rebound from sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) and kick-out to Ndugba for three.
  • Maryland answered with the next eight and led 61-47 before a thunderous one-handed alley oop finish from redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) broke up the stretch.
  • Grant would score 11 points in the final 78 seconds of the game with three made shots from beyond the arc and a pair of free throws.

STATS

  • Grant was 8-of-19 overall and 7-of-14 from three.
  • Ndugba shot 8-of-14 and matched his season-high with six assists.
  • Elisias chipped in with six points, three rebounds and two blocks, giving him 39 for the year.
  • Bryant shot 43.3% from the field and 35.7% from three. Maryland was at 47.3% for the game and 50% (7-for-14) from beyond the arc.
  • All nine of Bryant's free-throw attempts came on fouled three-point attempts. The Bulldogs were 8-for-9 from the line, while the Terrapins were 25-for-32.

GAME NOTES

  • Grant had his eighth game this season of 20 or more points and 31st of his career. The senior scored in double figures for the 77th time in his collegiate career.
  • Bryant drops to 0-10 all-time against top-25 foes.
  • Bryant falls to 0-2 against Maryland and 0-13 vs. the Big Ten in program history.

UP NEXT
Bryant opens NEC play at home Thursday when Saint Francis U visits the Chace Athletic Center at 4 p.m. Tickets are available by clicking HERE and the game can be seen on NEC Front Row. 

Bryant Men's Basketball 2019-20 season tickets are available by clicking HERE.

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