Garvin, Francis pace Bulldogs to 70-67 victory over Brown

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) tied his season high with 22 points while rookie Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) posted the first double-double of his young career to lead the Bryant University men's basketball team to a 70-67 victory over intrastate rival Brown Wednesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

The victory is the team's second-straight win over the Bears after topping Brown on the road, 68-61, last season. The Bulldogs (4-2) also saw double-figure scoring from junior Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) (11 points, 2 blocks) in Wednesday's Thanksgiving Eve contest, while Brown (4-2) was led by 18 from senior guard Sean McGonagill and 16 more from Rafael Maia.

Brown got out in front early and held a 15-10 edge six minutes into the contest, but back-to-back treys from Garvin and sophomore Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) – for each the first of his career – gave the hosts a 20-17 advantage at the 11:37 mark.

The Bears responded with consecutive 3-pointers of their own to move the score back in the visitor's favor. The margin would stay tilted toward the visitors as they built a six-point advantage, 35-29, at the 5:30 mark with a triple from McGonagill. But the Bulldogs would score the next six points – four of them coming from O'Shea – to tie the game at 35-35 with 2:46 to go before the break.

O'Shea would reknot the game once again with less than a minute to go in the frame on a baseline layup and was fouled in the process, converting the and-one for Bryant's first lead since the 11:37 mark.

Bryant took the 38-37 edge into halftime, and built a 51-39 lead in the early minutes of the second frame. The Black and Gold maintained a 10-point advantage through the opening eight minutes, 60-50, but the Bears quickly cut into that lead over the next two minutes,  outscoring their hosts, 11-2, to cut the margin to just a single point, 62-61, with 8:28 showing on the clock.

The game would stay within four points as the clock ticked under two to go, and a layup by senior Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) put the Bulldogs out in front by three, 69-66, entering the final 60 seconds.

Francis pulled in the rebound on a missed shot from Maia on the next play, and the Bears would put Maynard at the line for a one-and-one. The senior guard couldn't knock down the shot, though, giving Brown back the ball with 20 seconds to go in the contest.

Maynard would foul McGonagill with 13.1 ticks to play, and while the senior hit the front end, he would miss the second, and the Bears would be forced to foul Maynard once again on the rebound. But Maynard would again see his shot bounce off the rim, setting up one final opportunity for Brown with less than five seconds to play and just a two-point, 69-67 deficit. But Francis would be there to save the day, shutting down what should have been an easy Maia layup with a big block. Brown would foul Garvin on the rebound, and the rookie knocked down the second of two free throws to seal the 70-67 victory.

Bryant shot 44.1 percent from the floor despite just 25 percent shooting from long range and a .500 clip from the line. The Bears shot 40.4 percent but went 7-for-16 (.438) from 3-point land and 14-of-18 from the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs won the battle on the glass, 41-37, and pulled down 16 offensive rebounds en route to 19 second-chance points. O'Shea added eight boards for the Black and Gold, while Maynard and junior Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) each finished with nine points on the contest.

Bryant takes a short break for the Thanksgiving holiday and will return to the court Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center to take on Salve Regina (1 p.m.).