Bryant hosts Quinnipiac Thursday as Dobbs nears 1000

BRYANT WELCOMES QUINNIPIAC THURSDAY NIGHT AS BULLDOGS LOOK FOR RECORD FIFTH-STRAIGHT WIN (7 P.M.)

FULL GAME NOTES
Watch: NECfrontrow.com
Listen: WOON 1240AM l bryantbulldogs.com
Live Stats: bryantbulldogs.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday

THE PARTICULARS
The Bulldogs return home to host their first home game of the 2013 calendar year Thursday night, when Northeast Conference rival Quinnipiac University comes to the Chace Athletic Center for a 7:00 p.m. matchup. The game can be seen live on NEC Front Row and heard on WOON 1240AM.

THE SERIES
Bryant has faced off against the Bobcats more than anyother team in the Northeast Conference. Since their first meeting back in 1967, much history has been made between these two programs, with highlights that include the Bulldogs' first-ever Division I win — a 59-50 victory over Quinnipiac on Nov. 22, 2008. Both programs have histories in the Division II ranks and have faced off frequently at both levels of NCAA competition, with Thursday's game marking the 60th all-time meeting between Bryant and Quinnipiac, though just the ninth at the Division I level. These two programs spent 10 years as co-members of the Division II Northeast-10 Conference before the Bobcats' jump to Division I after the 1996-97 season, and Quinnipiac owns a 42-17 advantage in the all-time series. But the Division I margin is much tighter, with the Bobcats holding just a slight 5-3 edge thanks to a season sweep of the Black and Gold in 2011-12. The Bulldogs have not beat Quinnipiac at home in the Division I era, a trend the team looks to change Thursday night.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Quinnipiac is 5-8 overall and 1-1 on the young NEC season, taking an 82-74 victory over LIU Brooklyn at home Saturday two days after being edged out by St. Francis Brooklyn, 63-61, in the league opener. Preseason all-conference pick Ike Azotam leads the Bobcats on the year, averaging 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while Garvey Young adds 10.3 points per outing in nine appearances. Dave Johnson's 54 assists and 12 steals (8.9 ppg) pace the Quinnipiac roster, and Jamee Jackson has 15 blocks to compliment 8.0 points and 5.7 boards per contest. The Bobcats shoot 41.4 percent from the floor but are below 30 percent from beyond the arc. The team is strong on the glass, pulling in nearly 41 rebounds each time out.

LAST TIME AGAINST QUINNIPIAC (January 21, 2012)
Down five, 61-56, with less than five minutes to play in regulation, Bryant staged a 7-2 run, knotting the score at 63-63 and forcing overtime, but with four players in foul trouble, the Bulldogs would fall short in the extra frame, suffering a heartbreaking 78-71 loss to Quinnipiac at home. Alex Francis recorded his fifth double-double of the season (13th career) and paced the game with a season-high 30 points, 11 of them coming from the free throw line. His 10 rebounds led a Bulldog side that saw four finish with double-figure points, including 14 from Raphael Jordan, 12 from Frankie Dobbs and 10 from Corey Maynard. Dobbs added a season- and game-high eight assists on the day in a game that featured 13 ties and 12 lead changes in the final box. Quinnipiac saw three players finish in double-digits, paced by James Johnson's 23 points, while Ousmane Drame pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the contest on the glass. In overtime, Quinnipiac didn't miss from the line, securing the victory with a perfect 6-for-6 mark and converting 75 percent on the day in total (24-32). Bryant also hit 24 free throws for a 77.4 percent clip, and both teams shot under 40 percent from the field. Bryant connected on seven 3-pointers to the visitor's two, but the Bobcats won the battle on the glass in every frame for a 51-34 final margin.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 2-0 against the Northeast Conference in 2012-13 with a 17-53 record against current league members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current NEC members, the Bulldog basketball program is 45-107 (.296), having most frequently faced off against former Northeast-10 Conference (DII) member Quinnipiac (17-42).

QUICK HITS
» Making History: Bryant's 78-58 road win over Saint Francis U. marked the team's ninth victory of the season, setting a new program mark for single-season wins against Division I opponents. The victory also tied the record for most wins in a season in the Division I era (9) and knotted the program's longest winning streak at the DI level (4). The Bulldogs look to break those two marks Thursday night against the Bobcats.
» Movin' On Up: The Bulldogs climb four spots and are now ranked No. 21 in this week's College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 following two more victories over league opponents last week. This is the second-straight week Bryant has appeared on the prestigious list after cracking the top 25 for the first time program history on Dec. 31. Bryant is the only NEC team to appear in the poll.
» Five for Fighting: Fifth-year senior point guard Frankie Dobbs is just five points shy of scoring his 1,000th-career point, which would make him the second Bulldog to join the elite club this season after Alex Francis did so back on Nov. 17. The last time the Bulldogs had two 1,000-point scorers playing on the same team was during the 2004-05 season (John Williams and Mike Williams).
» Happy 200th: Both sophomore guard Dyami Starks and junior forward Alex Francis surpassed the 200-point mark on the season last week. Starks now boasts 233 points in 2012-13, while Francis has 206 entering Thursday's faceoff.
» Milestone Match: The next Bulldog win will also mark the 150th-career victory for Tim O'Shea as a head coach.
» Opening Weekend: The Bulldogs' 2-0 start against the Northeast Conference marks the program's first opening weekend sweep since the team began playing a full league schedule beginning with the 2009-10 season. Last Thursday's 84-77 win over Robert Morris on the road was also the team's first victory in an NEC opener.
» The Big Three: Sophomore Dyami Starks (23.5 ppg last week), junior Alex Francis (19.5 ppg) and senior Frankie Dobbs (18.5 ppg) combined for 123 of the team's 162 points in the Bulldogs' two opening NEC wins. On the year, the trio is responsible for 67.5 percent of the team's total scoring — 603 of its 893 points in all.
» Tremendous Turnaround: Just two seasons ago, the Bulldogs fell to the Colonials at the Sewall Center, 91-38. Last Thursday night's 84-77 victory marks an impressive 60-point turnaround for the Black and Gold, just another indication of the program's improvement in 2012-13.
» New York State of Mind: Junior Alex Francis scored a game-high 21 points at Saint Francis Saturday, picking up the 18th 20-point performance of his career (third of the season).

STARKS NAMED CHOICE HOTELS/NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK... AGAIN
For the second time this season, sophomore sharpshooter Dyami Starks earned Northeast Conference Player of the Week accolades for his performance over Bryant's 2-0 week. The Columbia transfer and Minnesota native averaged 23.5 points per game last week in road victories over perennial power Robert Morris and Saint Francis U., including a career-high 29-point outing against the Colonials in the league opener. Starks hit a career-best seven trifectas in the outing, marking the first time any Bulldog player has converted as many 3-pointers in a single game since Cecil Gresham did so against Monmouth nearly two years ago (Jan. 22, 2011). The showing was also the sixth 20-point performance of the season for the guard, who won his first weekly league honor back on Nov. 26.

50/50
For the fourth time this season, the Bulldogs finished their Jan. 5 win over Saint Francis U. shooting better than 50 percent from the floor. The team's 54 percent clip was the second-highest mark of the season, following just a 54.7 percent performance against the University of New Hampshire on Nov. 17. The Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent in both halves for the third time in 2012-13, as well.

Bryant has converted better than 50 percent from 3-point range twice this season, most recently against Robert Morris Jan. 3, when the Bulldogs finished the game at a 52 percent clip (13-25). The first came at home against Binghamton Dec. 8, when the Black and Gold converted a season-best 12-of-23 from downtown (52.2 percent).

TWENTY SOMETHINGS
Dyami Starks scored a career-high 29 points while senior Frankie Dobbs tied his own personal best with 26 last Thursday against Robert Morris, marking back-to-back games in which two Bulldogs have recorded 20 points or more (Alex Francis, 21; Starks, 20 at Lehigh Dec. 29).

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
Bryant recorded new season-high point totals in three-straight games from Dec. 22 through Jan. 3, scoring 79 at home against Dartmouth on Dec. 22, topping it a week later with 80 at Lehigh Dec. 29, then posting the team's current season best with 84 points at Robert Morris last Thursday.

UPSET CITY
After posting just two wins in 2011-12, Bryant would be considered the underdog in almost every contest entering this year's campaign. But even with a vastly improved roster and the opportunity to play for a postseason as motivators, few would have imagined the signature wins the Bulldogs' have already pulled off in 2012-13. Just more than a month after taking its first-ever victory over an ACC opponent – a 56-54 road win over Boston College Nov. 26 – Bryant picked up yet another shocking upset, upending 2011-12 NCAA tournament darling and reigning Patriot League Champion Lehigh, 80-79, on a last-minute bucket by senior point guard Frankie Dobbs on Dec. 29. The team then opened the 2013 calendar year with yet another key road win, this one over NEC autobid favorite Robert Morris, 84-77, in the league opener. The marquee victories have garnered national attention for the program, still in its Division I infancy as it plays just its fifth slate against the NCAA's top tier of competition.

DAYTIME DOMINANCE
The Bulldogs have shown their preference for day games in 2012-13. Bryant is a perfect 6-0 in contests with start times before 5 p.m. but just 3-4 in night games on the year.

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are still available for the 2012-13 men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-519-TIXX.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference have partnered with Pack Network to create NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts in 2012-13. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2012-13 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge broadcasts of all 15 Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Visit www.necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the fifth-consecutive season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action as the voice of the Bulldogs, alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.

UP NEXT
Bryant hits the road once more, traveling to New Britain, Conn., to take on Central Connecticut Saturday at 3:30 p.m.