GRESHAM DROPS IN SEASON-HIGH 29 POINTS, BULLDOGS FALL TO SACRED HEART, 83-77, IN HOME FINALE

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite a season-high 29 points from senior Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.), the most by any Bulldog this season, the Bryant University men's basketball team did not have enough to pull off the season sweep over Sacred Heart as the Bulldogs fell, 83-77, on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

The two teams played neck-and-neck down the stretch until the Pioneers (10-17, 5-11 Northeast Conference) scored consecutive 3-point plays for the five-point edge with 1:11 left to play, 75-70. After trading baskets and still down by five, 79-74, Gresham nailed his fifth 3-pointer of the game to trim the lead down to two with 10 seconds to go. But the Bulldogs (9-19, 7-9) would be forced to foul from there, and the visitors would hit all the necessary free throws in the final seconds to secure the 83-77 victory.

Gresham shot 11-for-17 from the floor and went 5-for-8 from long range for his season-best and game –high mark, while Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio) and Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine) added 17 and 11 points, respectively. As a team, Bryant shot 66.7 percent from 3-point range in the first half scoring eight treys, but fell to just 11.1 percent in the second frame, going just 1-for-9 from long distance.

Shane Gibson paced Sacred Heart with 24 points, and Louis Montes added 19 while Evan Kelley and Chris Evans chipped in with 14 and 13, respectively. On the day, the Pioneers outshot the home side, 54.9 to 47.2 percent, despite Bryant's 60 percent clip from the field in the first frame.

The game opened with even play between the two lineups, as both squads turned to the long ball for a combined eight 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, capped off by Dobbs's second trey of the afternoon to put the Bulldogs on top, 17-13, at the 12:24 mark. Bryant continued to shoot well from outside over the next 6:30 as consecutive 3-pointers from Dobbs and rookie Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) gave the home side a nine-point lead, 30-21, with 5:33 remaining. Despite a late push by the Pioneers in the waning minutes of the half, the Bulldogs held onto a four-point lead, 40-36, at intermission.

Gresham led the way offensively with 19 points in the opening 20 minutes, shooting 7-for-10 from the floor including four makes from beyond the arc. Montes paced the visitors at the break with 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field.

Sacred Heart kicked off the second stanza with an 8-2 run to put the visitors up, 44-42, for their first lead of the game with 15:37 left to play. A driving layup from Maynard tied it back up on the next possession but the Pioneers answered right back with consecutive baskets to regain the lead.

The Pioneers held a slim advantage until the 9:09 mark, when sophomore guard Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.) was fouled on a strong finish down low and hit the free throw for the 3-point play, tying up the score at 57-57. The teams would play close over the next six minutes, swapping slight leads on frequent trips to the charity stripe, until a 3-point play by Evans and a trey from Gibson gave the Pioneers a five-point lead with 1:11 remaining. The Bulldogs would get no closer than two to fall short in their bid for one final home win.

Saturday marked the final home contest for four Bryant seniors as Gresham, Barry Latham (Taunton, Mass.), Michael Chroney (Nashua, N.H.) and Papa Lo (Thies, Senegal) played at the Chace Athletic Center for the last time in their careers.

The Black and Gold head out on their final road trip of the season next week, as they head to Long Island on Thursday, Feb. 24 for a 7:00 p.m. matchup.