Grant scores 24 on Senior Day but Bulldogs fall to SHU

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) scored 24 points on Senior Day and freshman Charles Pride (Syracuse, N.Y.) added the first double-double of his collegiate career, but the Bryant University men's basketball team was defeated by Sacred Heart, 83-76, Sunday afternoon. 

Grant hit six threes in the contest and Pride added 10 points and a career-best 13 rebounds as Bryant's bid for a three-game conference winning streak was stymied.

GAME INFORMATION  
Sacred Heart 83, Bryant 76
Records: Bryant (14-15, 6-10 NEC), Sacred Heart (17-12, 10-6 NEC) 
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.) 

KEY MOMENTS  

• Sacred Heart used a 13-4 run over a span of 4:30 to open a 12-point lead at 34-22 with 5:33 left in the first half.
• Bryant trimmed a 14-point deficit to three and shrunk Sacred Heart's lead to 58-55 with 12:52 left in the second half.     
• The Pioneers went on a 14-6 run late in the second half to push their advantage to 13 and put the game out of reach.    

HOW IT HAPPENED  

•  The Bulldogs held the Pioneers to 0-for-4 from beyond the arc going into the first media timeout but trailed 8-7.  
• Bryant took a four-point lead at 11-8 before Sacred Heart used a 10-2 run to go up 19-13 with 10:53 left to play in the first half.  
• A Grant three-pointer and subsequent jumper would keep the Bulldogs in striking distance trailing 21-18 with 9:53 remaining in the first half.  
• Sacred Heart would use a 10-4 run to open a 10-point lead at 32-22 with 5:46 remaining until the half.  
• A 6-0 run by Bryant, including back to back buckets from freshman Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.), shrunk the Pioneer lead to 42-37 and bring the Bulldogs within five with less than 90 seconds left in the first half.  
• The Pioneers scored the final seven points of the half to take a 49-37 advantage into the locker room.
• Sacred Heart opened the second half by expanding their lead to 14 before back-to-back baskets from senior Juan Cardenas (Apartado, Colombia) and a three-pointer from Grant cut the deficit to 53-45. 
• A floater from sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) pulled the Bulldogs within six at 56-50 with 14:48 to go.
• Back-to-back forced turnovers and a Grant three brought the Bulldogs within three points before a Sacred Heart layup pushed the Pioneer lead to 60-55 with 12:28 left in the second half.    
• A three-pointer from Sacred Heart made it 73-67 Pioneers before a dunk from redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) brought the Bulldogs within seven with 4:10 left in the game.  
• A pair of three-pointers from the Pioneers put Sacred Heart up 80-69 with 1:53 remaining in the game and the visitors led by at least seven the rest of the way.  

STATS  

• Grant was 9-for-20 from the field and 6-of-13 from three in 35 minutes, in the process breaking Alex Francis' Division I career program record for minutes played. Grant's 4,158 in Black & Gold passed the mark of 4,141 held by Francis since 2014.
• Green added 13 points and a career-high eight assists.
• Cardenas chipped in with 14 points and averaged 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 2-1 week.
• Elisias added nine points, six rebounds and two blocks.
• Bryant shot 42.4% for the game, while Sacred Heart was at 49.2% and hit 10 threes.
• The Bulldogs held a 41-36 rebounding advantage.

GAME NOTES  

• Bryant drops to 14-27 all-time against Sacred Heart and 6-19 since the Bulldogs' move to Division I.
• Harding's seven rebounds moved him in front of Marcel Pettway for fifth in Bryant's D1 era with 421 for his career.
• Elisias is the first player in Bryant's D1 history with 70 blocks in a season.
• Bryant honored its four seniors – Grant, Cardenas, SaBastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) and Tanner Johnson (Lexington, Ky.) prior to the game. The quartet has combined for over 3,200 points in their time in Smithfield.

UP NEXT  
Bryant begins a two-game trip to close the regular season when the Bulldogs face Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday at 7 p.m. in Hackensack, New Jersey. The game can be seen on NEC Front Row. 

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