Men's hoops falls at #15 Gonzaga, 100-76, Sat. in Spokane, Wash.

SPOKANE, WASH. – In front of a packed house at The Kennel, Gonzaga wasted little time displaying why they were voted 15th in the Associated Press Preseason Poll, as they topped the Bryant University men's basketball team, 100-76, Saturday evening at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Bryant (0-1) hung tough for a good stretch during the opening minutes and nearly matched Gonzaga's (1-0) scoring output in the second half (51-48), but the Zags high-powered offense was too much for the undersized Black and Gold.

Junior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) led all scorers, though, with a career-high 35 points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of assists. After a slow start, Starks went off in the second half, pouring in 29 of his 35 in the final 20 minutes of play on 13-22 shooting from the field (both career highs). Senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) was the only other Bryant Bulldog in double figures, putting up 13 points and four boards.

Junior swingman Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) chipped in nine points (all in the first half) while redshirt freshman guard Declan Soukup (Melbourne, Australia) put up six points off the bench in his first career game action.

Freshmen Ellis Williams (Columbus, Ohio), Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) and Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) each scored their first baskets in a Bryant Uniform, as well.

"This certainly isn't an easy team to open up with or an easy place to play," said Bryant head coach Tim O'Shea. "But you can learn a lot from a team like [Gonzaga] in how well they defend and move the ball."

Senior Sam Dower Jr. led Gonzaga (1-0) with 21 points and a whopping 17 rebounds in 29 minutes of play, while junior Gerard Coleman added 15 points off the bench. Junior sharpshooters Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. each put up 14 points, while sophomore big man Przemek Karnowski rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.

The Zags outshot the Black and Gold in the contest, 54 percent compared to Bryant's 45 percent, despite the visitors 52 percent clip in the second period. Bryant also struggled to find its range from deep, shooting just 19 percent (4-of-21) from behind the arc.

Senior David Stockton got things going right out of the gate, getting a pair of quick buckets to help the Zags jump out to an early 11-4 advantage.

As the first half progressed, the Black and Gold hung tough, cutting the deficit to just four, 14-10, with 13:09 left in the first half. Gonzaga's up-and-down style got them a few easy buckets and the lead quickly jumped to 11 points halfway through the opening frame. However, the experienced Smithfield Bulldogs weren't phased as they continued to keep Gonzaga within reach through the third media timeout.

As the half came to a close, the Zags began to flex their muscles, taking a 49-28 advantage into the locker room. Francis and O'Shea combined for 19 of Bryant's 28 points, while Dower led all scorers at the break with 11 points.

Gonzaga opened the second half similar to the first, using their size and speed to extend its halftime advantage quickly to 22 points, 57-35, just over four minutes in. Heading into the final ten minutes of the contest, Bryant hung tough but defending West Coast Conference champs looked impressive as they maintained a convincing double-digit margin through the final buzzer.

After heading back to Smithfield on Sunday, the Black and Gold will have a short turnaround as they prepare for a solid Dartmouth team on Wed. in Hanover, N.H. The Bulldogs open their home slate in one week (Saturday, Nov. 16), when they host Vermont in a primetime showdown at the Chace Athletic Center (7 p.m.).