Francis drops rookie record 43 on champs

Bryant rookie Alex Francis's 43 points set numerous records but Bulldogs fall to top-seeded LIU, 94-85.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Despite a career-high 43 points by freshman Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y), the most by a Bulldog during the school's Division I era, the Bryant University men's basketball team could not pull off the upset over first-place Long Island as the Bulldogs fell, 94-85, in Northeast Conference action Thursday night at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.

The third-highest individual scoring effort in school history, Francis dropped in 43 points on 20-for-27 shooting from the floor, including 25 in the second half, shattering his previous total best of 25 in a contest. In addition to a season-high 43 tallies, his 20 field goals and 27 field goals attempted are the most by a Bulldog this season. He also went 3-for-4 at the free throw line and added nine rebounds.

Bryant (9-20, 7-10 NEC) was also led by sophomore Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio) who netted 12 points and added four assists and three steals, while Long Island (23-5, 15-2) had four players in double-figures, including 22 points with six 3-pointers from Michael Culpo.

As a team, the Bulldogs shot 45.7 perent from the field while the home side shot at a 50 percent clip inclduing 13 3-pointers.     

Long Island held a slim lead in opening nine minutes of the contest, never leading by more than five, until the Bulldogs managed to tie up the score, 21-21, on a pair of Francis free throws at the 10:45 mark. Francis followed with a thundering dunk 1:30 later to push the Bulldogs up by two but the Blackbirds responded with five straight points from Kyle Johnson to go back on top, 26-23, with 7:47 remaining.

The Bulldogs were able to achieve another one-point lead on a driving layup from Francis with 6:28 left to play, but a 10-0 run propelled the home side to an eventual  45-37 advantage at intermission.

The Bulldogs shot 45.5 percent from the floor in the first half, led by 18 points from Francis on 8-for-11 shooting, while Culpo paced the Blackbirds with 12 points on four shots from beyond the arc.     

Both teams opened the second stanza by exchanging baskets, as Bryant went to Francis and Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.) down low, but the Blackbirds pushed their lead to 53-41 on consecutive treys by David Hicks at the 18:20 mark.

After maintaining at least a 10-point lead over the next few minutes, the Blackbirds went on to go up by 16 at the 11:45 mark, but the visitors climbed back into contention with a 10-2 run after the midway point, capped by 3-pointers from Matt Lee (Bloomfield, N.J.) and Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) to trim the lead to 72-63 with 7:42 remaining. Culpo halted the Bulldog stretch with another 3-pointer but the visitors continued to press offensively and hang with the home side, as a 3-pointer by Dobbs trimmed the lead to 79-71 with 6:44 left to play.

Despite Francis' ability to score down low and break through the Blackbird defense, the home side continued to answer on the offensive side and hung on for the 94-85 victory.    

The Black and Gold will play their season finale on Saturday, Feb. 26 when they head to St. Francis (NY) for a 4:30 p.m. matchup.