Bulldogs top Salve Regina, 87-45, in preseason tuneup

BULLDOGS STRONG IN PRESEASON TUNEUP, TOP SALVE REGINA, 87-45, FRIDAY NIGHT AT HOME

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- Redshirt-sophomore Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) racked up a game-high 20 points in his Bulldog debut as the Bryant University men's basketball team defeated Salve Regina University, 87-45, in the final tune up of the 2012-13 preseason Friday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Starks's total came off 8-of-13 shooting and led three Bulldogs with record double-digit points in the win. Junior Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) finished the day with 19 points off an 8-for-9 performance, also pulling in a contest-high six rebounds, while senior point guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio) chipped in 10 with a game-best five assists in the exhibition.

Rookie Andrew Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) also grabbed a game-high six boards (4 points) in his collegiate debut, while classmate Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) saw 16 minutes of floor time and picked up four steals, also marking a category high on the night.

All 16 players on the Bryant roster saw the court, marking the Black and Gold debuts of Starks, Scocca and McLaughlin, along with sophomore transfer Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) (4 points, 5 rebounds), rookie forward Curtis Oakley (South Euclid, Ohio) (2p, 4r), junior guard Tim McKinney (Duxbury, Mass.) (2p, 2r) and frosh Declan Soukup (Melbourne, Australia) (1 assist, 8 minutes).

William Smiley registered 11 points to lead the visiting Seahawks, also grabbing a team-best five boards, a number tied by Chris O'Keefe. Smiley also paced his side with four assists and two steals and went 4-for-5 from the floor.

The Bulldogs came out sharp to open the contest, going 19-for-31 from the field to shoot at a 61.3 percent clip in the first 20 minutes en route to a 45-23 halftime lead. In the second frame, the hosts fell just below 50 percent, converting 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) to finish play with 54.2 percent accuracy (32-of-59) from the floor.

Bryant led the entire contest and outrebounded its opponent, 45-26, dishing out 28 assists to Salve Regina's nine and winning the swipes margin, 13-6. The Seahawks shot 34.7 percent on the contest after opening the game at 40 percent from the field in the first half.

The Bulldogs will face a much tougher test in their next outing, however, as Bryant opens the 2012-13 regular season Friday, Nov. 9 on the road at Indiana, the Division I preseason favorite. The battle against the top-ranked Hoosiers marks both team's 2012-13 openers and tips off from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., at 8:00 p.m. ET. The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.