BRYANT STRUGGLES AGAINST PROVIDENCE COLLEGE, FALLS, 96-53, IN 2009-10 SEASON OPENER
Friday, November 13, 2009
World Vision Invitational
Dunkin' Donuts Center
Providence, R.I.
BRYANT STRUGGLES AGAINST PROVIDENCE COLLEGE, FALLS, 96-53, IN 2009-10 SEASON OPENER
PROVIDENCE - A 12-point outing from junior Barry Latham (Tauton, Mass.) and nine-point performances from a pair of freshmen highlighted the Bryant University basketball team's 2009-10 season opener, but in the end the Bulldogs would be outmatched by a tough Providence College side, dropping a 96-53 decision at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in the opening game of the World Vision Invitational.
The Bulldogs (0-1) looked scattered early, committing six turnovers in the opening five minutes and allowing the Friars (1-0) wide open looks from long range. The missteps put Bryant in an early 15-2 hole before consecutive threes from rookie Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine) and senior captain Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I.) brought the visitors within seven, 15-8.
But Bryant couldn't hold off a bigger and stronger Friar side, and the Bulldogs would see that gap grow to 39-10 as they were outscored, 24-2, over the next 8:41. Kondratyev would snap the scoring drought with a basket at the 6:11 mark, but the home team would keep all but two Bulldogs scoreless through the first 16:41 of the contest.
Bryant would get buckets from McMath and Latham in the half's remaining minutes - highlighted by Latham's charge into the key through heavy traffic for a layup that bounced around the rim and fell in - before heading to the locker room with a 50-18 halftime deficit. McMath's up-close jumper off a great feed from senior Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) would round out Bryant's first-half scoring with 1:05 to play.
Kondratyev led the Bulldogs at the break with nine points off 4-of-8 shooting from the floor (1-for-3 from 3-point range), scoring half of Bryant's first-frame points. He also registered the Bulldogs' only block of the half, spending 17 minutes on the floor in his first collegiate start.
The second half saw the Bulldogs nearly double their scoring output, as Latham and McMath took over much of the scoring duties after Kodratyev's fourth foul of the game forced him to the bench with 11:20 still to play.
And while the Black and Gold had little chance of evening the score, the Bulldogs made strides of improvement in the final 20 minutes.
Latham would score 10 of his 12 points in the closing frame, while McMath and senior Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.) each chipped in five.
The Friars shut down Gresham, the Bulldogs' 2008-09 leading scorer who took PC for 24 points in last season's meeting, for much of the contest, not allowing the now-senior captain a single point until the 17:34 mark of the second frame.
McMath, who completed his first career three-point play in an and-one situation with 8:50 on the clock to move the score to 81-37, would finish the night with nine points and a squad-best four rebounds, taking a team-high 12 shots.
Redshirt-sophomore Papa Lo (Thies, Senegal) scored his first points as a Bulldog with a jumper from the middle of the key with 2:15 to play after a good dish from Parzych on the left side set up the shot. The UMass transfer who sat out last season also collected a block in the outing, rejecting a shot from Duke Mondy with 5:05 to play in the second half.
The Bulldogs struggled on the glass all night against a taller PC side, getting out-rebounded, 27-7, in the first 20 minutes and 52-29 on the game.
But Bryant improved on both turnovers and second-chance points in the second frame, allowing just six second-chance points and seven turnovers after giving up 23 in both categories through the first half.
The Friars were led by 18 points from Jamine Peterson on 7-of-11 shooting while Bilal Dixon recorded the game's only double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Friday's meeting was the third all time between the intrastate opponents, with the Friars now sporting a 3-0 record against the Bulldogs. Bryant will take on one more Big East opponent when it faces St. John's on Dec. 23. The Bulldogs will now have to recover quickly, as they play their second of three games in three days Saturday against the Bears of Mercer University. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 p.m.