Timberlake posts triple-double as Bryant sprints past Drexel, 104-86

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Earl Timberlake recorded a triple-double and Sherif Gross-Bullock finished with 29 as the Bryant University men's basketball team earned an emphatic 104-86 victory over Drexel on Saturday morning at the Chace Athletic Center.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 8-6 overall and have secured a winning non-conference record. Bryant wraps up its non-league slate on New Year's Eve at Ole Miss.

On Friday, Timberlake unwrapped just the second triple-double in DI program history, finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to pace a Bryant offense that scored 104 points against a Drexel team that was allowing just 60.3 ppg, the ninth-lowest in the country. Gross-Bullock erupted for 21 second-half points to finish with a season-high 29, while Rafael Pinzon (20), Daniel Rivera (17) and Tyler Brelsford (13) also finished in double figures.

Timberlake joins Peter Kiss as the only players in Bryant DI history to record a triple double. Kiss did it on January 7, 2021 against Central Connecticut, finishing with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

Game Information
Bryant 104, Drexel 86
Records: Bryant 8-6 | Drexel 7-6
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 1,201

Key Moments

• Bryant closed the first half on a 15-5 run and never looked back.

How it Happened

• Bryant started the game with a quick 5-0 spurt as Rivera finished off the glass and Brelsford knocked down a triple from the left wing.
• The Dragons would take the lead, 12-9, on back-to-back threes at the 15:14 mark.
• Bryant would regain the less than a minute later as Pinzon hit an off-balance three from the top make it 14-12.
• The Black and Gold would push its lead to 10, 24-14, as Gross-Bullock finished twice at the rim and Rivera went high over the two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
• Rivera would sink a triple from the top and Timberlake finished in the paint to make it a 13-point game.
• The Dragons would get the deficit to seven but the Black and Gold rattled off a 15-5 run to take a 44-27 lead into the break.
• Doug Edert started the run with a floater in the lane and Pinzon would hit a pair of smooth triples.
• Gross-Bullock would cap the strong half with a driving layup off the glass with two seconds remaining.
• Bryant's defense was stellar in the first half, holding Drexel to 11-of-37 shooting from the field and 2-of-10 from three.
• The Black and Gold then opened up a 23-point lead in the second half behind the hot shooting of Gross-Bullock.
• SGB hit back-to-back threes from opposite wings to put Bryant up 22 and force a Drexel timeout.
• Gross-Bullock's third three of the half put Bryant up 66-41 with 11:48 to play.
• Bryant would continue to torch the twine from three as Edert hit from the corner and Withers nailed a deep three from in front of his own bench.
• The Dragons would pull the game into the teens at the under-8 media, 76-61.
• Brelsford would cool the Drexel run as he rattled home a three from the left wing to make 82-63 with 6:19 left.
• Rivera would finish a beautiful bounce pass from Gross-Bullock with a one-handed hammer at the 6:05 mark.
• Gross-Bullock then canned a pretty stepback three before getting Bryant to the 100-point mark with a 35-footer at the shot clock buzzer.

Stats

• Bryant finished 39-of-62 (62.9 percent) from the field, 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from three and 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) from the line.
• The Black and Gold held Drexel to 7-of-20 shooting from three.
• Drexel held a 40-33 advantage on the glass. The Dragons held an 18-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
• Bryant finished with 22 assists, it'ss second-straight game with 20+.
• Timberlake posted 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 34 minutes. He also didn't commit a turnover. Timberlake was 5-of-7 from the field.
• Gross-Bullock finished with 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from three.
• Rivera posted 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
• Pinzon scored 20 points and added three rebounds and three assists.
• Brelsford finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from three.
• Withers added three points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks.

Game Notes

• Bryant and Drexel were meeting for the second time in program history. It marked Bryant's first win over the Dragons.
• Bryant finished with 20+ assists for fourth time this season.
• Bryant scored 100+ points for the second-straight game. It's the first time in DI program history Bryant has scored 100+ points in back-to-back games against DI opponents.
• The Bulldogs finished 68 percent from three which is a new single-game program record.
• Timberlake posted his first-career triple-double and just the second in DI program history. He joins Peter Kiss (Jan. 7, 2021) as the only two Bulldogs to accomplish the feat.
• Timberlake finished in double figures for the 11th time this year and the 38^th time in his career.
• Timberlake posted his fifth double-double of the year and the 14^th of his career.
• Pinzon scored in double figures for the 10th time this year and the 17^th time in his career.
• Pinzon recorded his second-straight 20-point game and his third of the season.
• Pinzon tied his career high with four three pointers.
• Gross-Bullock posted his fourth 20-point game of the season and the 18^th of his career. It was his 56^th career double-figure scoring game.
• Rivera scored in double figures for the ninth time this year.
• Brelsford scored in double figures for the sixth time this season and the 16^th time in his career.
• Withers tied his career high with four blocks.

Up Next
Bryant will have nine days off before returning to the court on New Year's Eve at Ole Miss for its final non-conference game of the season. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m. and the game will air on the SEC Network.