BULLDOGS OPEN 2010-11 HOME SLATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON; HOST ARMY AT 3:30 P.M.

November 19, 2010

BULLDOGS OPEN 2010-11 HOME SLATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON; HOST ARMY AT 3:30 P.M.

Game Notes

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's basketball team opens up its 2010-11 regular-season home schedule Saturday afternoon when the Bulldogs welcome the Black Knights of Army to the Chace Athletic Center for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.

Bryant is in search of its third-straight victory after a 74-72 buzzerbeating win over Iona in the closing contest of the World Vision Classic November 14 and a 75-49 exhibition win over Salve Regina Wednesday night and is 1-2 overall in 2010-11.

THE SERIES
Bryant has never beaten Army on the hardwood in a trio of attempts, and the Black Knights own a 3-0 series lead. The first meeting between the two programs came back on February 19, 1979, a contest Army won at home, 76-61. The Black Knights finally made the return trip 30 seasons later to the same result, topping the Bulldogs in Smithfield, R.I., 59-48, on December 8, 2008 in just the second Division I game to ever be played at the Chace Athletic Center. Last season, Bryant closed the scoring gap but couldn't earn the program's first win over the Cadets, falling in a closely contested 64-58 battle at Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y.

THE USO SHOW
Suitably, Saturday's home opener against Army will serve as Rhode Island Armed Services Appreciation Day at the Chace Athletic Center. With the recent deployment of over 300 members of the Rhode Island National Guard, joining the countless other soldiers currently serving overseas from Bryant's home state, the Bulldog men's basketball team is serving up a little taste of home for our Ocean State troops. When the Bulldogs host the Cadets Saturday, the Rhode Island National Guard troops stationed in Afghanistan will be able to watch the contest live via a free webcast feed. Military members not currently deployed as well as the families of deployed soldiers are invited to attend the game free of charge and will be featured in a halftime presentation.

SCOUTING THE BLACK KNIGHTS
Army is 2-1 on the young season after accumulating 14 wins in 2009-10 and a berth into the Patriot League Tournament as the eight seed. The Cadets graduated seven players from last year's squad, including all-time steals leader Cleveland Richard and the program's all-time leader in blocked shots in Marcus Nelson. The graduated group produced 64.5 percent of the team's 2009-10 scoring and 65 percent of its rebounding, but Army doesn't seem to be having much trouble without them so far. Jeremy Hence — who hit a game-winning half-court shot at the buzzer in the team's Thursday night win over NJIT — leads the Black Knights with 17.3 points per game and adds six boards per outing, while two other Army players also average double-digit points (Julian Simmons, 16.7 ppg; Ella Ellis, 15.3 ppg). Ellis leads Army on the glass with 6.7 rebounds per game and paces the team in blocks (4) and steals (4) so far this season. The Cadets have traded wins and losses since starting out the 2010-11 campaign with a 66-49 win over Division III Vassar College and have since lost a 101-87 decision to Northeast Conference member Central Connecticut and narrowly defeated NJIT, 63-60, at the buzzer.

BRYANT vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
Bryant enters Saturday's matchup 0-3 against current Patriot League members in its short Division I history and is winless in four tries against the conference all-time. Three of those four games were against Army (see "The Series" above) while the Bulldogs took a three-point defeat at the hands of Bucknell last season, 59-56, in the World Vision Invitational (Nov. 15 hosted by Providence College). The Black Knights are the first, but not the last Patriot League opponents will take on this season or this month, as Bryant will play Lehigh University at Stabler Arena on Sunday, Nov. 28 (7 p.m.).

UP NEXT
The Black and Gold remain at home for one last contest before the Thanksgiving Break and will host nearby Harvard University on Wednesday, November 24 at the Chace Athletic Center (4 p.m.).

FRANCIS EARNS PROGRAM'S FIRST-EVER NEC WEEKLY HONOR
Freshman forward Alex Francis proved in his first weekend of collegiate action exactly why there was so much excitement surrounding his arrival, immediately establishing himself as a force in the paint for the Bulldogs. Monday, the rookie starter was rewarded for his stellar efforts at the season-opening World Vision Basketball Classic, earning the Bryant men's basketball program's first-ever Northeast Conference weekly accolade, named the season's first Co-Rookie of the Week.

Francis lived up to his billing in his first weekend as a Bulldog, posting double-double efforts in each of his first two collegiate outings and ended the World Vision Basketball Invitational averaging 11.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.7 apg and 1.0 bpg while shooting 48.0 percent from the field.

In his collegiate debut Friday night, Francis finished with a team-best 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, snared a game-high 10 boards and added two assists against tourney host Cleveland State. The following afternoon, the New York City native again led the team, tallying 11 points, a game-high 10 rebounds and three assists in a 90-49 setback against Kent State. On Sunday, Francis contributed six points and seven rebounds in Bryant's 74-72 buzzer-beating win over Iona.

He has the Bulldogs' only double-doubles of the season so far and posted the only such effort for either side in Friday night's season opener against the Vikings. The rookie forward also added five assists, three blocks and a steal in his opening weekend, averaging over 31 minutes per game. Francis is currently second on the team in scoring (11.0) and leads the team on the glass (27, 9.0 rpg) and becomes the first NEC frosh to begin his career with back-to-back double-doubles since November of 1998. 

HAPPY 100TH!
Senior Cecil Gresham is on a roll when it comes to career landmarks. Saturday against Kent State, the foward appeared in his 100th-career game, recording his 400th-career rebound in the contest. Gresham recorded his 1,000th-career point in his final game of the 2009-10 season (at St. John's) before being sidelined by injury. He will be honored before Saturday's contest against Army for the career achievement.

BE LIKE MIKE
Sophomore guard Raphael Jordan's last-second heroics Sunday against Iona marked the Bulldogs' first buzzerbeater win since joining the Division I ranks prior to the 2008-09 season. The win was Bryant's third DI-era victory taken in the final seconds of the contest, but the only true buzzerbeater for the program. Jordan went a perfect 3-for-3 from long distance in the 74-72 win to close the World Vision Classic in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Bulldogs hit 11 trifectas as a team — but none were more important than Jordan's 3-pointer that just beat out the clock.

Also interesting to note, Jordan can now take credit for all of Bryant's wins dating back to last season, albeit only two in total. The lone victory of the 2009-10 season came on February 18 on the road against Wagner, when Jordan sunk a pair of free throws with 0.8 seconds remaining to break a 51-51 tie for the 53-51 Bulldog win.

The other win in a game's final seconds? A 57-55 win over Long Island University January 24, 2009. Then-sophomore Adam Parzych hit a layup with 2.1 seconds on the clock.

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
In addition to being streamed online at www.bryantbulldogs.tv, for the third-consecutive season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action as the voice of the Bulldogs.