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BULLDOGS LOOK TO WIN OUT AT HOME, TO START WITH ST. FRANCIS (NY) THURSDAY NIGHT (7:30 P.M.)
Posted: Feb 25, 2010

BULLDOGS LOOK TO WIN OUT AT HOME, TO START WITH ST. FRANCIS (NY) THURSDAY NIGHT (7:30 P.M.)

February 25, 2010

BULLDOGS LOOK TO WIN OUT AT HOME; TAKE ON ST. FRANCIS (NY) THURSDAY NIGHT (7:30 P.M.)

Game Notes / Live Video / Live Audio / Live Stats

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- Bryant hosts St. Francis (NY) Thursday night at the Chace Athletic Center to open the final homestand of 2009-10 action (7:30 p.m.). The contest is a rematch of the teams' December 5 matchup at the Pope Center, a contest the Terriers took, 54-48, despite a late Bulldogs lead. Bryant looks for its first victory in front of the home crowd and will have two chances before wrapping up the season Saturday afternoon.

THE SERIES
This is the third meeting all-time between the Bulldogs and the Terriers and St. Francis holds a 2-0 edge in the series. The last time these teams met came on Dec. 5, 2009 in the second game of 2009-10 Northeast Conference action. Bryant held a 48-45 edge entering the final two minutes of the season's first matchup, but early foul trouble would doom the visitors, handing the Terriers the final nine points of the game for a come-from-behind win. Senior captain Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.) led the Bulldogs with a team-best 19 points of 6-of-18 shooting, all six baskets coming from long range, while rookie Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.) chipped in 10 points and went to the free throw line 10 times. Gresham pulled down seven boards to lead the Black and Gold while senior captain Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I.) dished out a trio of assists and made three steals. Sophomore Papa Lo (Thies, Senegal) posted two blocks in the outing.

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
St. Francis comes to Smithfield riding a four-game losing streak. Leading scorers Ricky Cadell (16.0 ppg) and Akeem Bennett (14.4 ppg) pace the Terriers to their 10-17 record, while Bennett also leads the team on the glass, averaging 6.1 boards per outing, in assists, dishing out 110 helpers on the year, and in steals, with 60 total thefts. Herman Wrice has posted 27 blocks so far this season, 11 of them coming in conference play, while the Terriers shoot 40.1 percent from the floor as a team.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Bryant is 1-15 against its home conference in 2009-10, having played its first official game against the NEC back on December 3, 2009 when the Bulldogs fell to LIU, 62-46, and getting its first win on February 18, 2010 at Wagner, 53-51. All-time against current Northeast Conference opponents, the Bulldog basketball program is 35-75, having most frequently played former Northeast-10 Conference (DII) members Quinnipiac (16-37). Bryant continues to play its full league slate in 2010 after going 6-8 against the NEC last season, taking wins over Quinnipiac (twice), LIU, Fairleigh Dickinson, Saint Francis (PA) and Monmouth.

LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.) scored a career-high 19 points Saturday night as the Bryant University men's basketball team brought its road season to close, falling to Northeast Conference foe Mount St. Mary's, 74-45.

Bryant had two players score in double figures as Jordan poured in a career-high 19 and Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine) added 11 of his own. Jordan, coming off the two biggest free throws of his Bryant career which earned the Bulldogs their first win of the season at Wagner on Thursday, was 9-for-15 from the floor, including 1-for-2 from long range. Playing in his home state for the first time, the guard came out hot in the first half, scoring 15 points off the bench.

The Bulldogs shot 34 percent from the field, including a dismal 12.5 percent (2-16) from 3-point range.

With the win, Mount St. Mary's extends its winning streak to eight games and improves to 13-14 overall. Looking to clinch the third spot in the conference tournament, the Mount improves to 10-6 in NEC play. The Mountaineers were led by Jeremy Goode and Shawn Atupem. Goode and Atupem scored 19 and 18 points, respectively. The Mount shot 49.2 percent from the field.

Both teams shot poorly from the free throw line as the Bulldogs shot just 43.8 percent and the Mountaineers registered a 52 percent mark from the line.

Mount St. Mary's opened Saturday night's action with a 13-2 run to take command early on against the Bulldogs. The Mountaineers didn't let up there, as they continued the hot shooting and great defense en route to a 27-9 lead with 9:16 left in the first half. Jordan and senior Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) combined for all nine Bryant points.

Jordan and the Bulldogs battled back over the next 3:20 as the freshman guard poured in seven of the Bulldogs' next nine points to bring his squad back within 11 with less than six minutes to go, 29-18.

Following the brief Bryant run, the Mount responded by closing the half out with a 13-7 stretch of its own to take a 17-point, 42-25 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Jordan accounted for 60 percent of the Bulldogs' scoring in the first stanza as he poured in a half-high 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Other than Jordan, only Parzych and Kondratyev added first-half points, each recording five. Bryant shot 39.1 percent from the field in the first half, including just 14.3 percent (1-7) from beyond the arc.

The Mount had two players record double-digit points in the first half as Goode and Atupem recorded 13 and 12, respectively. The Mountaineers shot 60.7 percent from the field in the first, including 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Using a quick 5-1 run to start the action in the second half, the Mountaineers extended their lead to 21 points, the largest margin of the game to that point, as they led, 47-26. Bryant registered its first field goal of the second frame when freshman forward Claybrin McMath (Adelaide, Australia) hit a 3-pointer with 15:30 remaining in regulation to bring the score to 47-29.

Bryant was unable to stop the Mount from scoring, as the teams continued to trade baskets over the next eight minutes of play before the Mountaineers took a 59-39 lead with 7:04 remaining.

Mount St. Mary's finished the game on a dominating 17-6 run to record its eighth-straight victory, winning by a final margin of 74-45.

UP NEXT
Bryant closes out 2009-10 action when the Bulldogs host Long Island University at the Chace Athletic Center in the season finale Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m.).

COACH O'SHEA STUDENT STIMULUS PACKAGE: BACK FOR MORE
Bryant University students attending tonight's contest between Bryant and St. Francis (NY) will again be in the running for a $500 payday just for supporting their team. Each student will be given a ticket upon entrance to the game. At the conclusion of the contest, one ticket will be drawn and that student must only present his or her matching stub to become the beneficiary of a $500 prize. If the Bulldogs win, the winner will be give a single chance to shoot for three and double it. After the success of the first "Student Stimulus Package," happening back on February 11 when Bryant hosted Saint Francis (PA), the contest is back, courtesy of the Bryant Chairman of the Board.