Bulldogs fall to SFU in road finale, 76-61

Bulldogs drop road finale to sharp-shooting Red Flash

LORETTO, Pa. – Sophomore forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) finished with a game-high 17 points, but the Bryant University men's basketball team could not overcome a slow start to the second half against Saint Francis University, as the Bulldogs fell in their road finale, 76-61, on Saturday afternoon at DeGol Arena.

Looking for its first road victory of the season, the Bulldogs (2-26, 1-15 Northeast Conference) sat just five points back at the break, but the Red Flash (6-21, 5-11 NEC) dominated the battle down low while evening the season series between both squads.

For the 50^th time in his career, Francis scored in double figures with his 17-point outing on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from long range. The Harlem, N.Y., native's performance also marked the 30^th time he led the team in scoring, and his game-high eight boards marked the 50^th time in his time with Bryant that he led the team in rebounding.

Other Bryant leaders included true freshman Ben Altit (Herzeliya, Israel), who tied a career high with 14 points while finishing with two swats, as well as junior Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio), who drained three shots from long range and finished the day with 11 points and a game-high seven assists.

But a balanced attack from the home side resulted in five players registering double figures, as Kameron Ritter led the way with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-for-4 from the outside. Anthony Ervin chipped in 13 points and tied a side-high rebounding total with six boards, while both Stephon Whyatt (3-for-3 from long range) and Ollie Jackson (3-for-4) added 11 points each. Jon Taylor poured in 10 points to aid the Red Flash, as well.

Both sides shot respectably from the field, but Saint Francis hardly missed. The home team shot 27-of-52 (.519) from the field and an even sharper 9-for-17 (.529) from outside. Bryant, meanwhile, registered a 43.4 percent clip on 23-of-53 shooting. The Bulldogs finished 9-for-21 (.429) from three-point range while going just 6-for-12 (.500) from the free throw line. SFU, meanwhile, hit 13-of-16 (.813) from the stripe.

The Red Flash commanded the interior game with a 37-24 edge in rebounding and a 30-18 edge in points scored in the paint. SFU also boasted advantages in the blocking (4-3) and steals (5-3) categories, while both teams committed 10 giveaways.

Guided by six straight points from Altit to open the contest, the Bulldogs pushed in front to an 8-7 advantage at the 15:51 mark of the first frame. But the Red Flash controlled the battle in the paint midway through the half, and that helped the home team take a 15-11 lead with 12:34 to play.

But the Bulldogs fought back on the wings of back-to-back jumpers from sophomore Claybrin McMath (Adelaide, Australia) and eventually tied the game at 20-20 by means of a three-pointer from junior Daniel Calandrillo (Leonardo, N.J.) with 7:48 remaining in the half. But the Red Flash turned to the long ball late in the half, and Jackson led the way with two late treys to push SFU ahead by eight.

Motivated by that deficit, Francis put the Bulldogs on his back and carried the team with 12 of its final 14 points to close out the half, including two buckets from downtown, but Saint Francis countered those heroics with back-to-back treys - including one from Whyatt at the end of the half - to send the home side into the break with a 39-34 lead.

Both teams put up impressive shooting figures in the stanza, as the Bulldogs went 14-of-29 (.483) from the field and 4-of-10 (.400) from long range while making both of their free throw shots. But the story of the half for the Red Flash was their nearly impeccable three-point shooting, as SFU went an impressive 6-for-7 (.857) from the outside and 14-of-24 (.583) from the field in the first half.

Saint Francis quickly added its lead in the opening minutes of the second half, and the home side benefited from some hot shooting to pull ahead by 20 points (57-37) with 11:31 to go in regulation. The Bulldogs turned to the long ball late in the game, but could only cut it to a 15-point deficit with 8:26 to play. SFU kept the visitors at bar for the remainder of the half to win by that same margin.

The Bulldogs finish off the 2012 campaign with a pair of matches in Smithfield this week. Bryant first tackles Wagner on Thursday (Feb. 23) evening before closing the season on Saturday (Feb. 25) afternoon against Mount St. Mary's.

For continuing coverage of Bryant University men's basketball, check back online at www.bryantbulldogs.com; also follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.