Bryant completes sweep of Merrimack

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Redshirt senior Hall Elisias scored a career-high 20 points and the Bryant University men's basketball team dominated the second half on its way to a 76-60 victory, and a weekend sweep, of Merrimack on Sunday afternoon.

Elisias finished with his third double-double of the year, adding 10 rebounds, as the Black and Gold moved into sole possession of second place in the league standings at 8-4. Classmate Peter Kiss added 16 points, seven boards and four assists, sophomore Michael Green III scored 14 points and dished out three assists, and junior Chris Childs chipped in 10 points fo the Bulldogs.

Leading by two at the half, the Bulldogs withstood a Merrimack spurt to start the second half and went on to outscore the Warriors 41-27 over the final 20 minutes. Bryant held Merrimack to just 9-of-24 shooting from the field, while converting 54 percent of its own attempts.

Game Information
Bryant 76, Merrimack 60
Records: Bryant 12-5, 8-4 NEC | Merrimack 8-6, 8-6 NEC
Location: Hammel Court (North Andover, Mass.)

Key Moments

• Merrimack's second-half spurt gave them a short lead but Childs converted a layup and Kiss followed with a three to make it 42-39.
• Bryant then expanded its lead with a 14-5 run, spanning seven minutes of the second half, to put the game away.

How it Happened

• Bryant got off to a hot start on Sunday, opening the game on an 11-2 run.
• Elisias pushed the lead to 10, 22-12, as he converted an alley-oop from Green III with 8:36 left.
• Nathaniel Stokes followed with a long three from the left wing a minute later.
• The Warriors eventually made it a three-point game before Kiss knocked down a trifecta, making it 31-25.
• Mikey Watkins would hit a three with 37 seconds left to make it a 35-33 game heading to the locker room.
• It was the start of a 9-2 Merrimack run that would give them the lead, 39-37, with 17:55 to go in the second half.
• Childs would answer with a layup and Kiss converted a transition three to give Bryant the lead back, 42-39.
• Bryant's lead would be two when redshirt junior Luis Hurtado Jr. knocked down a three from the top of the key at the 13:09 mark.
• Hurtado Jr. then setup an Elisias dunk with a perfect bounce pass, pushing Bryant's lead to seven with 10:46 to play.
• Merrimack would stick around but Childs buried an icy three with 6:42 remaining to push Bryant's lead to double digits.
• Sophomore Charles Pride then provided the back-breaker, collecting an offensive board and putting it home to make it a 13-point game with 3:09 left.

Stats

• Bryant finished 27-of-54 (.500) from the field, 6-of-12 from three (.500) and 16-of-22 (.727) from the line.
• Bryant outrebounded Merrimack, 42-27.
• The Bulldogs turned the ball over just 13 times, it's lowest total since Dec. 1 at New Hampshire.
• Elisias collected a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He finished 8-of-11 from the field and also collected two assists.
• Kiss finished with 16 points seven rebounds and four assists.
• Green III chipped in 14 points (6-6 FT), four boards and three helpers.
• Childs was the fourth in double-figures with 10. He had two boards, two assists and two steals.
• Hurtado Jr. finished with seven points, eight boards and two assists.
• Stokes had five points and five rebounds.

Game Notes

• Bryant has now swept three NEC series this season.
• The Bulldogs improved to 7-0 this season when held to 75 possessions or less in a game.
• Elisias posted his third double-double of the year and the third of his career.
• The 20 points were a career-high for Elisias, who leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.641).
• Elisias becomes the fifth Bulldog to score 20 points this season (Kiss, Green III, Pride, Childs).
• Green III has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season.
• Hurtado Jr. made a career-high two threes and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.   

Up Next

Bryant returns to the Chace Athletic Center for a pair of games against Long Island on Feb. 25 (Thu.) and Feb. 26 (Fri.). Both games are set to tip at 4:00 p.m.