Bryant, UMass Lowell meet in America East Semifinals Tuesday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The third-seeded Bryant men's basketball team faces second-seeded UMass Lowell on Tuesday night in the semifinal round of the 2024 Jersey Mike's America East Men's Basketball Playoffs. Bryant and UML will tip at 6:00 p.m. in Lowell.

The winner of Tuesday's semifinal will face the winner of top-seeded Vermont and fourth-seeded New Hampshire in the championship game on Saturday, March 16.

The Particulars
Opponent: No. 2 UMass Lowell
Location: Costello Athletic Center (Lowell, Mass.)
Date and Time: Tuesday, Mar. 12 - 6:00 PM EST 
Live Stats: Sidearm
Watch: ESPN+
Game Notes: Bryant | UMass Lowell
Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram | #AEMBB

THE SERIES
Bryant and UMass Lowell will meet for the third time on Tuesday night. The River Hawks won both regular season meetings and have won all four games since the Bulldogs joined the America East last season. UML won 86-77 in Smithfield and then 89-67 12 days later in Lowell. In the first meeting, the game was tied 75-75 with 2:26 left before UML closed it out. In the second meeting, Bryant was within two in the second half before a slew of technical fouls allowed UML to open the game up.             

BULLDOGS DOWN MAINE IN QUARTERS

• The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals with an 84-58 victory over sixth-seeded Maine on Saturday at the Chace. Bryant hit 11-of-17 from three and held a +18 advantage on the glass.
• Rafael Pinzon scored a Bryant DI playoff record 35 points in the game, going 14-of-20 from the field and 6-of-8 from three. 

POSTSEASON HAUL

• Earl Timberlake and Sherif Gross-Bullock were named to the America East First Team on Thursday.
• Both have now earned all-conference honors in each of the last two seasons. Gross-Bullock is a two-time first teamer, while Timberlake earns first team honors after being on the second team last season. 

SEMIFINAL HISTORY

• Bryant will be playing in a conference semifinal game for the fourth time in program history. The Bulldogs previous semifinal appearances all came in the Northeast Conference. 
• The Black and Gold made their first semifinal appearance in 2014-15, falling to Robert Morris, 66-53. Bryant then defeated Sacred Heart (85-55) in 2020-21 and Mount St. Mary's (70-69) in 2021-22.

BRYANT, UMASS LOWELL POSTSEASON HISTORY

• Meeting in the postseason is not new for Bryant and UMass Lowell. The two teams met in two NE-10 postseason games and two NCAA DII games during their days as rivals in the NE-10.
• The River Hawks won three of the four meetings.

FIVE MORE THINGS TO KNOW

1. Sherif Gross-Bullock is coming off a 12-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance in the quarterfinals. He Is now averaging 4.0 assists per game over his last four. SGB leads the Bulldogs 17.9 ppg. 
2. Rafael Pinzon made Bryant history in the quarters, scoring a career-high 35 points. It is the highest scoring effort in Bryant's DI postseason history, one point better than Peter Kiss' 34 against Wagner in the 2022 NEC Final. 
3. Pinzon is now averaging 21.8 ppg over his last four, having produced back-to-back 20-point games. He is 11-of-22 from three.
4. Daniel Rivera is on quite the tear, having recorded four-straight double-doubles entering Tuesday. The stretch started with a 29-point,12-rebound performance at UMass Lowell. Rivera posted 13 points and 15 boards in the quarters and is averaging 20.3 ppg, 13.5 rpg and 3.3 apg over the last four.    
5. Miles Latimer has started three of the last four games and is averaging 8.0 ppg during the stretch. That includes a 9-of-15 clip from three. Latimer tied his career high with four assists in the quarterfinals.                                   

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