Bulldogs defeated by Mount St. Mary's, 67-65

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) scored 17 points, but his bid for a game-winning three-pointer was off the mark as Mount St. Mary's escaped the Chace Athletic Center with a 67-65 victory over the Bryant University men's basketball team Saturday evening.

Freshman Charles Pride (Syracuse, N.Y.) added 10 points for Bryant, while redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) tallied five blocks to move within six of Bryant's Division I single-season record.

GAME INFORMATION
Mount St. Mary's 67, Bryant 65
Records: Bryant (9-7, 1-2 NEC), Mount St. Mary's (6-11, 2-2 NEC)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant led 22-9 with nine minutes remaining in the first half with assists on seven of the Bulldogs' first nine baskets.
• Mount St. Mary's opened the second half on a 16-3 run to lead by three just over minutes into the half.
• The Mountaineers led by as many as six points before Bryant chipped away and got a look from Grant to win it at the buzzer, but the shot from the right corner was off the rim.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Elisias scored the game's first four points off assists from freshman Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.) and Grant followed with a corner three to beat the shot clock buzzer, prompting a Mount timeout with 17:35 to go in the opening half.
• Bryant held Mount St. Mary's to nine points in the first 11 minutes of the game while enjoying a 22-9 advantage.
• A three-pointer from freshman Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan) beat the halftime buzzer to put Bryant in front 34-24 heading to the locker room.
• A 16-3 Mount St. Mary's run to open the second half gave the Mountaineers a 40-37 advantage with 14:41 to play.
• The teams would go back and forth until Bryant scored five straight to move in front 52-51 on a Grant three with 6:48 to go.
• Mount responded with a pair of three-pointers to go ahead by five before three free throws from Grant to get back to a two-point deficit.
• Mount St. Mary's pushed its lead back to five at 65-60 with 2:04 to play and led 67-65 in the closing seconds when redshirt-junior Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) forced a turnover in front of the Bryant bench with 2.9 seconds remaining.
• The inbound from Pride led to a corner three for Grant that was off the mark at the buzzer, allowing the Mountaineers to leave Smithfield with a road win.

STATS

• Grant scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half.
• Green dished out six assists on his birthday – one shy of a career-high.
• Sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) hauled in a team-high six rebounds. Bryant was outrebounded 35-33 with seven of the Bulldogs' 33 coming on rebounds out of bounds.
• Elisias blocked five shots and added seven points while limited to 17 minutes.
• Bryant shot 42.6% for the game and 47.8% from three.
• The Bulldogs were held to nine made field goals in the second half.

GAME NOTES

• Elisias' five blocks moved him to 48 in his first season in Smithfield. The forward from Long Island stands tied for second in a single season in Bryant's Division I era and six behind Papa Lo for the Bulldogs' single-season mark of 54.
• Grant scored in double figures for the 80^th time in his collegiate career.
• Grant moved within 62 points of Dyami Starks for second on Bryant's Division I scoring list.
• Bryant drops to 9-12 against Mount St. Mary's in the Division I era and 9-14 overall.

UP NEXT
Bryant hits the road for the first time in NEC play when the Bulldogs face conference newcomer Merrimack Wednesday at 7 p.m. in North Andover, Massachusetts. 

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