GRESHAM SENDS BRYANT TO OVERTIME BUT WAGNER PREVAILS, 80-75, THURSDAY NIGHT

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Down by three with 19 seconds left in regulation, senior forward Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.) nailed a clutch 3-pointer to knot the score at 67-67 and send the Bulldogs to their second-straight overtime game, but the Bryant University men's basketball team could not hold off Wagner in extra time as the Bulldogs fell, 80-75, in Northeast Conference action Thursday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

The Bulldogs (6-15, 4-5 NEC) closed down a five-point gap with 3:37 to play in regulation with a 7-2 run capped off by Gresham's game-tying trifecta to force the extra frame against the Seahawks (10-10, 6-3), but it was visiting Wagner who went on the 7-2 run to open the overtime stanza, taking a 74-69 edge on a Josh Thompson fastbreak. The Bulldogs worked to close the gap to as little as two, 75-73, with 1:28 to play, but despite a few good looks at the basket, Bryant could not get the shots to fall, allowing the visitors to hit free throws down the stretch and claim the five-point victory.

Gresham paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 18 points while freshman Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) added 16 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio) chipped in with 12 points while Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) and Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.) each added 10 to round out the double-figure scorers for the home side.

The Seahawks had five players reach double figures, including Latif Rivers, who scored a team-high 16 points. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 43.1 percent from the floor while the Seahawks shot at a 49.2 percent clip.

Wagner opened up the game with any early 6-0 run, but the Bulldogs answered right back with eight-straight points as a pair of free throws from Francis put the home side on top, 8-6, at the 13:53 mark.

Later in the half, the Seahawks managed to tie up the score on a pair of free throws, but the Bulldogs moved quickly down the other end of the floor as Jordan hit a 3-pointer to kick off a 10-1 run for the Black and Gold, ending with a Gresham trey to give the home side a 28-21 advantage at the 5:03 mark.

Wagner slowly chipped away in the waning minutes of the half and despite a late 3-pointer by Maynard, the visitors ended the opening stanza in strong fashion as a 5-0 run tied up the game, 36-36, at halftime.

Gresham paced the Bulldogs with 11 points at the break while Orlando Parker and Naofall Folahan scored eight points apiece for the visitors. As a team, the Black and Gold shot 41.7 percent from the floor on 10-for-24 shooting while the Seahawks shot at a 40 percent clip.

Bryant opened the second session with a quick four points, but the Seahawks responded with a 7-0 run, taking a 43-40 advantage on a layup by Parker at the 16:03 mark. Maynard halted the Seahawk stretch with mid-range jumper, but Wagner came back a few minutes later with an 11-0 run, expanding the lead to 56-44 with 13:32 left in regulation.

Maynard would once again end Bryant's scoring drought, this time by way of a 3-pointer, to kick off a 7-0 run and trim Wagner's lead down to 56-51 at the midway point of the half.

After a pair of Wagner baskets, a 3-pointer by Jordan opened a 9-0 run for the Bulldogs as a driving lay-in from Dobbs tied it up, 60-60, at the 5:52 mark. From there the teams swapped buckets until Tyler Murray gave the Seahawks a 3-point edge on a driving layup. But Gresham would get it back in dramatic fashion to send the game into overtime, draining a trey with 19 ticks left on the clock.

The Black and Gold return to NEC action on Saturday, Jan. 29 when they host Mount St. Mary's at 4:00 p.m.