Bulldogs host league leader RMU Thursday at 7 p.m. - BLACK OUT THE CHACE!

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

THE PARTICULARS
The Bulldogs and the Colonials battle for first place in the Northeast Conference standings as the teams enter the final weekend of regular-season play Thursday night at home. Should Bryant sweep the weekend set, the Black and Gold would, at worst, win a share of the NEC title and would be guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the  upcoming league tournament. Thursday night's Black Out the Chace game tips off at 7 p.m. and can be seen live on NECfrontrow.com.

THE SERIES
This is the seventh all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Colonials and the second time these sides have met this season after Bryant topped Robert Morris, 84-77, in the NEC opener back on Jan. 3 in Moon Township, Pa. That was Bryant's first-ever victory not only at the Sewall Center, but against the Colonials all time, and the Bulldogs enter Thursday's contest looking for their first home win and first season sweep over the conference rival. In two previous meetings at the Chace Athletic Center, Robert Morris has beaten the Bulldogs by a combined 41 points.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris currently sits alone atop the Northeast Conference ladder, where the Bulldogs look to join them with a win Thursday night. RMU comes to Smithfield riding a three-game winning streak and with just four league losses (12-4), having secured its fifth 20-win season in the last six campaigns last time out. Three Colonials average double figures, led by 12.3 points per game from Karvel Anderson and 11.2 from preseason all-conference pick and senior guard Velton Jones. Jones runs RMU's offense and paces the team with 127 assists, while Lucky Jones is the team leader on the glass (6.0 rebounds per game) while also contributing 11.6 points per outing. Russell Johnson also pulls down 6.0 boards per contest, as Mike McFadden's 56.2 percent shooting represents the side best. Stephan Hawkins leads the Colonials with 24 blocks while Johnson and Velton Jones each have over 40 thefts. As a team, Robert Morris shoots just over 43 percent from the floor while allowing opponents to convert at a 44.9 percent clip. RMU is strong from beyond the arc at 38.4 percent and average nearly 8.5 triples per outing.

LAST TIME AGAINST ROBERT MORRIS (January 3, 2013)
Just five players recorded points for the Bulldogs, and only four were on the board until the final two minutes of the outing, as sophomore guard Dyami Starks scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Bryant University men's basketball team to its first-ever victory over Northeast Conference foe Robert Morris, 84-77, on the road in the league opener Jan. 3.

It wasn't until Corey Maynard connected from the free throw line with 98 seconds left in the game that anyone besides Starks, Frankie Dobbs (26 points), Alex Francis (18) and Joe O'Shea (7) got on the board, as the Bulldogs went 29-for-36 from the charity stripe and pulled in 39 boards, outrebounding Robert Morris by five. The Colonials were paced by 24 points from Velton Jones and saw four players record double figures, outshooting their visitors, 43.8 to 42.0 percent. The Bulldogs went 13-for-25 (52 percent) from beyond the arc, including a career-high seven trifectas from Starks, scoring just 12 points in the paint in their seventh first-time victory of the 2012-13 season.

The Bulldogs and the Colonials battled all game long, keeping the first half tight for a 33-32 Bulldog edge at the intermission. Out of the break, Starks opened the second half the same way he started the game – with a three from the right side. The sophomore sharpshooter would give Bryant a five-point cushion, 43-38, when he followed up a layup with a steal going the other way, capping off the play with another breakaway layup. Starks upped his team's edge to eight points seconds after, hitting the fifth of his seven trifectas on the night with 14:18 remaining in the contest.

Not to be outdone, Dobbs gave Bryant its biggest lead of the game to that point with just over 11 left on the clock, connecting on his fifth trey for a 51-41 advantage. But Dobbs would pick up his third foul soon after, and Karvel Anderson would score eight-straight points for the home side, helping the hosts even the score once more, 51-51, as the clock ticked under nine minutes to play.

Multiple quick fouls from the Colonials allowed the Bulldogs to take a 56-51 lead from the free throw line, and back-to-back threes from Starks just 44 seconds apart widened the gap back to eight points, 68-60, with 3:10 to play, prompting a Robert Morris timeout. Only 15 seconds later, Francis would take a huge charge whistle and make his two double-bonus free throws to up Bryant's lead back to 10, 70-60. The Bulldogs needed every inch of that lead, too, as tough Robert Morris defensive pressure cut the game to just four, 79-75, with 34 seconds remaining. But Bryant would hit its free throws down the stretch to complete the 84-77 victory.

The Bulldogs' 29 freebies against Robert Morris were not only a season high, but also the second-most free throw makes in a game in the Division I record books, second only to the 30 Bryant scored from the charity stripe at Quinnipiac Jan. 31, 2011.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 11-5 against the Northeast Conference in 2012-13 with a 26-58 record against current league members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current NEC schools, the Bulldog basketball program is 54-112 (.325), having most frequently faced off against former Northeast-10 Conference (DII) member Quinnipiac (18-43).

QUICK HITS
» Home Sweet Home: The Bulldogs will play the remainder of their regular-season contests at home in front of a friendly crowd, hosting league-leading Robert Morris Thursday night (7 p.m.) and Saint Francis U. Saturday afternoon for Senior Day and the regular-season finale (4 p.m.).

» Playoff Picture: Alone in second place with two games to go in the regular season, Bryant has already clinched a spot in the 2013 NEC Tournament in its first campaign with full Division I postseason eligibility. And despite trailing Robert Morris by a game in the standings, the Bulldogs continue to control their own fate as to where they will be seeded in next week's conference playoff. Should Bryant win out this weekend, the Black and Gold would earn the No. 1 seed and therefore hosting rights throughout the tournament. To guarantee a finish in the league's top four, and thus also guarantee home court advantage for at least one playoff game, the Bulldogs will need to win at least one of the final two outings.

» Two for the Show: With two games remaining, including Thursday's showdown with top-seeded Robert Morris, if the Bulldogs were to win out the remainder of their schedule, they could do no worse than claim a share of the NEC Regular-Season Championship. Two more wins would also guarantee Bryant the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament, regardless of if and who they are tied with at the top.

» NCAA Record Looming as Bulldogs Headline NCAA's DI Men's Basketball Most Improved Team List: With an 18-9 overall record entering the final stretch of the regular season, Bryant currently boasts a Division I-best 17.5-game difference from last season (2-28) to this one. The NCAA Division I record for Most Improved Team from one season to the next stands at 17 games, set by Mercer in 2002-03 and matched UTEP in 2003-04. If the Bulldogs win their final two regular-season games, they will break this mark and set a new NCAA standard for Most Improved Team ­— regardless of how they fare in postseason play.

» Tremendous Turnaround: The NCAA equation for most improved also takes number of losses into consideration, but Bryant remains the most improved team in the nation when it comes to pure win turnaround as well. The Bulldogs currently boast 16 more wins in 2012-13 than it had a season ago.

» NEC Improvement Records Fall: Monday's victory over Sacred Heart also broke the Northeast Conference record for win improvement from one year to the next, previously at 15 games. Central Connecticut went from four wins in 1997-98 to 19 in 1998-99 to set the previous mark. Limiting the scope to just conference play, Bryant's 10-game jump — from 1-17 last season to 11-5 entering Thursday's game — now ties LIU Brooklyn for the top spot in the 32-year history of the league. The Blackbirds set the record in 1997, going from five NEC wins to 15 league victories en route to the NEC title.

» Charge to 20: Yet another landmark achievement the Bulldogs would reach should they win out the regular season would be the 20-win campaign. Bryant has yet to put together such a season in the Division I era, and the last team to do so was the 2006-07 Bulldogs, who finished the year at 21-11. Director of Basketball Operations Chris Burns was a senior captain on that team and was the Bulldogs' leading scorer (15.8 ppg).

» Double Vision: Senior point guard Frankie Dobbs and junior forward Alex Francis each recorded a double-double in Bryant's 84-69 win over Sacred Heart Monday night, marking the first time the Bulldogs have seen two such performances in a single game since Feb. 26, 2011 at St. Francis Brooklyn — just one day shy of the two-year mark. For Francis, the 15-point, 10-rebound outing was the eighth double-double of the season and 24th of his career. Dobbs's 17-point, 10-assist day marked the captain's second double-double in 2012-13 and fourth of his career. Dobbs also tacked on a career-high seven thefts in the game, setting a new Division I record.

» 500: Averaging 17.9 points per game with 482 total points entering Thursday's action, sophomore leading scorer Dyami Starks is on pace to surpass 500 points on the 2012-13 campaign. If he does hit the mark, it would make him the second Bulldog in as many years to finish a season with over 500 points, after teammate and current junior Alex Francis scored 509 in 2011-12. To accomplish the feat again in this season, Francis will have to average 14.7 points per game over the next three guaranteed games (currently at 456). No other Bulldog has scored 500 points in a season in the Division I era.

» Saturated Schedule: Thursday's game is the sixth for the Black and Gold in the last 15 days thanks to delays and makeup games from Winter Storm Nemo. By the end of the regular season Saturday, the Bulldogs will have played seven games in a 17-day span.

» 18 and Counting: The Bulldogs keep improving on their Division I single-season wins record, picking up their 18th victory of the year at home against Sacred Heart Monday night. Bryant has now won more games this season than in the last three campaigns combined (12). The Bulldogs entered the 2012-13 season with just 20 total wins in their brief Division I history.

DUNK COUNT
As a team, the Bulldogs have thrown down 31 dunks in 27 games this season, nearly all of them a product of the play of junior forward Alex Francis. Francis has recorded at least one slam in 17 games in 2012-13, totaling 27 dunks in all. He has seven multi-dunk games, including throwing down four at home against Dartmouth and three more against Army, and nine of his jams have come on the road, including one in the season opener at No. 1 Indiana. Senior forward Vlad Kondratyev has three of his own on the year, two coming against Central Connecticut Feb. 21, while sophomore Joe O'Shea had one of his own against the Black Knights.

50/50
For the 12th time this season Monday night, the Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent from the floor, hitting 56.1 percent against the Pioneers. On the year, Bryant has shot better than 50 percent in both halves eight times — including Monday night — and converted 50 percent or better from 3-point range four time this season (vs. Binghamton, at Robert Morris, vs. Quinnipiac, vs. Wagner).

YOU SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD
Bryant broke yet another  Division I record Monday night against Sacred Heart, marking the 11th DI mark set in 2012-13. Fifth-year senior Frankie Dobbs broke the DI record for steals in a game with seven against the Pioneers, also good for fifth in the all-time program single-game marks. In total, 13 DI records have been either matched or broken this year, with both team and individual records falling away nearly every time Bryant takes the court. Other single-game DI records to fall this season include team points (103), team assists (24), team field goal percentage (.607), team free throw percentage (.905), team 3-point percentage (.632), individual assists (13, Dobbs vs. St. Francis Brooklyn), individual field goal percentage (.917, Alex Francis vs. Mount St. Mary's) and individual rebounds (18, Francis at Central Connecticut). Dyami Starks broke the single-season DI record for 3-pointers made against Wagner Feb. 16 and has 82 so far this year (previous record was 70), while Bryant as a team set a new DI mark for free throws made in a season (391, previously 350). Starks also tied two more records this season — 3-pointers in a game (7 at Robert Morris) and single-game 3-point percentage (.857 vs. Binghamton) — while the team's 63.2 percent shooting from long range against the Bearcats also set an all-time program mark.

MILESTONE WATCH
Junior guard Corey Maynard picked up his 600th-career point against Sacred Heart, and after Monday's performance needs just four more 3-pointers to reach 100 in his career and nine more assists to hit the 250 mark. The Aussie also pulled down his 300th-career rebound last Thursday night against Central Connecticut. Senior point guard Frankie Dobbs barreled through his 100th-career steal with a seven-theft performance Monday night (now 106) and is only 26 assists shy of 500 all time after a 10-dime outing against the Pioneers, also needing just 13 points for 1200 on his career. Sophomore transfer Dyami Starks netted his 100th-career trifecta Monday, while junior Alex Francis surpassed 1400 points Monday. The forward has a chance to reach 1500-career points this season if the Bulldogs make a postseason run (1408). He also needs just 10 more rebounds to hit 700 on his three-year career.

TWENTY SOMETHINGS
Four Bulldogs have combined to record 20 or more points in a game 24 times this season, including in nine of the last 10 contests and most recently against Sacred Heart Feb. 25 (Starks, 25). Sophomore sharpshooter Dyami Starks leads the way with 12 such outings, including eight in which he has matched or surpassed the 25-point mark, while junior Alex Francis has eight. Senior Frankie Dobbs has also chipped in three this year, including a career-high 27 points in a win over Monmouth Feb. 2. Sophomore transfer Joe O'Shea joined the trifecta with his career-best 21-point outing against the Seahawks Feb. 16.

Two players have recorded 20+ points in the same contest four times, including Feb. 7 against the Terriers, with Starks (25) and Francis (23) teamming up for the feat. Starks (20) and Francis (21) also paired up at Lehigh Dec. 29, while Starks (29) and Dobbs (26) did so at Robert Morris Jan. 3 and repeated the feat with 20 and 24 points, respectively, at home against Quinnipiac Jan. 10.

DOUBLE DARE
The Bulldogs have seen 10 double-double performances so far this season, with eight of them coming since the start of NEC play. Junior forward Alex Francis has eight double-doubles on the season, recording his latest and the 24th of his career with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds Feb. 25 against SHU. The Bryant bigman has six double-double outings in NEC play in 2012-13.

Senior point guard Frankie Dobbs has picked up the other two double-doubles of the year for the Black and Gold, registering his third-career double-double but the first of his 2012-13 season on Feb. 7 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn and another Monday against the Pioneers with a 17-point, 10-assist effort. It is the third time Dobbs has used assists as half of a double-double performance, also dishing out 10 assists with 14 points at Columbia Dec. 11, 2010 in a game he played against current teammate Dyami Starks.

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 is guaranteed one more home game this season, and they will play it Saturday afternoon against Saint Francis U. in the regular-season finale and 2013 Senior Day (4 p.m.).