Bulldogs battle North Dakota State Saturday to kick off BlackRock Gotham Classic

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

THE PARTICULARS
The Bryant University men's basketball team kicks off the 2013 BlackRock Gotham Classic Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center, hosting first-time opponent North Dakota State University at 1:00 p.m. Saturday's game can be seen LIVE on NECFrontRow.com.

THE SERIES
This is the first time the Bulldogs and the Bison have met on the hardwood.

SCOUTING THE BISON
North Dakota State's high-octane offense is driven by five players who all post double-digit scoring averages. Taylor Braun leads the way with 16.9 points per game, followed by Marshall Bjorklund at 13.9 points per outing. Dexter Werner (12.0), Mike Felt (11.9) and TrayVonn Wright (11.8) join them in double figures. As a team, the Bison are scoring more than 81 points per contest and shooting at a 52.4 percent clip from the field, a number that ranks 13th in the nation. NDSU pulls down 31.9 boards per contest and is led by Werner on the glass (9.0 rpg), while Wright also chips in 5.5 boards each time out to compliment his team-leading 17 blocks on the year.  Braun adds side bests in steals (16) and assists (32) to his team-leading point total, while Bjorklund paces the side in shotting at 71.2 percent. NDSU has wins over such programs as Rider, Santa Clara and Western Michigan so far this season and is currently receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll after being ranked as high as No. 6 earlier this season.

BRYANT vs. THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Saturday's matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and a member of the Summit League.

UP NEXT: BLACK ROCK GOTHAM CLASSIC CONTINUES
The Bulldogs hit the road for two of its toughest matchups of the year as the 2013 BlackRock Gotham Classic continues. Bryant will to take on Notre Dame on Monday, Dec. 9 followed by a matchup with  No. 5 Ohio State two days later in Columbus, Ohio. After a Dec. 14 home game against Navy, the Black and Gold then wrap up the Gotham Classic against the University of Delaware at Madison Square Garden on December 21. Fans can watch the Bulldogs' next three games on live national and regional broadcasts. Bryant plays Notre Dame live on ESPNU, Ohio State on the Big Ten Network and Navy on COX Sports.

FOR THE 100TH TIME...
Starting forward Alex Francis will appear in his 100th-career game Saturday against the Bison, the most of any player on the Bulldog bench. Classmate and frontcourt counterpart Claybrin McMath needs seven more games to join him, while starting point guard Corey Maynard is 13 appearances away from the mark.

DUNK COUNT
The dunk count is on once again in 2013-14, but this time around, there is another who might challenge the reign of senior Alex Francis. Rookie forward Dan Garvin has also gotten some hangtime already this season, with the pair combining for 11 slams in the first eight regular-season contests.

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
Among all active Division I players, Bryant senior forward Alex Francis currently ranks fourth in career field goals (619), fifth in career double-doubles (27), sixth in total rebounds (777), eighth in total points (1,621), 11th in career scoring average (16.4 ppg), 16th in free throws made (370), 26th in rebounding average (7.8) and 46th in career field goal percentage (.537). He is one of just five active players to have 1,500 points and 750 rebounds to his name. In the latest NCAA rankings (Dec. 1), Francis also ranks 21st in field goal percentage, shooting at a .624 clip so far in 2013-14.

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE NEC RANKINGS
Last week, Bryant senior forward Alex Francis cracked the top-50 on the Northeast Conference's career scoring list, and he enters Saturday's matchup ranked 42nd all-time with 1,621 career points — a number that is also good for tops among active players in the conference. Francis, who is also tied for 21st on the league's all-time rebounding list with 777, is one of 13 just players in NEC history to reach 1,500 points and 750 boards in his career. The New York City product is currently on pace to become the first player in conference history to finish with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Francis currently ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (16.4, tied for sixth), rebounding (6.1, fifth), field goal percentage (.624, first), blocks (1.43, fifth) and minutes played (33.50, tied for second).

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE BRYANT RANKINGS
Senior forward Alex Francis enters Saturday's game ranked sixth all-time in the program's career scoring list (1,621 points) and fifth among the career rebounding leaders (777). He also ranks in the program's career top-10 in scoring average (fifth), field goals (fifth), field goal percentage (sixth), free throws made (second) and rebounding average (second).

BULLDOGS ANNOUNCE FIVE-GAME BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP WITH OSN
With six men's basketball games already scheduled for national TV, Bryant University Athletics announced this week that five more will be featured locally on Cox Sports and the Ocean State Network in 2013-14. In partnering with Cox Communications, the Bulldogs bring their exciting brand of basketball into the homes of viewers throughout Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut, as well as across the country with CoxSportsOnline.com. Fans will have the opportunity to witness one of the strongest programs in the state playing in five home games, backed by the best home fans in the Northeast Conference.

All five games will be broadcast LIVE in High Definition on Cox Sports and the Ocean State Network and streamed online at coxsportsonline.com and necfrontrow.com. Mike Mancuso will handle the play-by-play duties and Chris Disano will serve as the color analyst. The five-game package kicks off on Saturday, Dec. 14 as the Black and Gold host Navy at 12:30 p.m.

Bryant Basketball on OSN
Dec. 14 vs. Navy (12:30 p.m.)        Dec. 30 vs. Lehigh (7 p.m.)    Jan. 16 vs. Sacred Heart (7 p.m.)
Jan. 25 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (1:00 p.m.)    Feb. 22 vs. Central Connecticut (4:00 p.m.)

A STARK DIFFERENCE
Bulldog leading scorer Dyami Starks averages 23.0 points per outing this season, a number that ranked 14th in the nation and tops in the league circuit in the latest NCAA and NEC rankings. Starks also sits in the conference's top-10 in free throw percentage (.905, second, 57th nationally), 3-pointers per game (3.00, second, 54th nationally), steals (1.43, fifth) and minutes played (36.71, first, 30th nationally).

A CONCENTRATED EFFORT
The Bulldogs have certainly added depth in 2013-14, but the Bryant bench has just started to prove it on the scoreboard. In the team's first seven games against Division I opponents, four Bulldog starters — juniors Dyami Starks and Joe O'Shea and seniors Alex Francis and Corey Maynard — are responsible for nearly 82 percent of Bryant's total scoring (425 of 520 points). If you go outside the starting lineup, Bryant's bench has contributed just 84 points so far this season. Leading the way with 161 points, Starks alone accounts for more than 30 percent of the team's total offense.

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT?
The Bryant men's basketball team will be featured in live national and regional broadcasts 11 times throughout the 2013-14 season. The Bulldogs will see air time on ESPNU at Notre Dame on Dec. 9 and at Robert Morris Jan. 30 (also on ESPN3). The Big Ten Network will carry Bryant's Dec. 11 game at Ohio State, while NEC road matchups against LIU Brooklyn on Jan. 23 (MSG+, Fox College Sports and Cox) and Wagner Feb. 16 (CBS Sports Network) will also air nationally. Bryant's season opener against No. 15 Gonzaga was broacast live on KHQ/Root Sports. Bryant will air five additional home games on Cox Sports and the Ocean State Network throughout Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut — Dec. 14 vs. Navy (12:30 p.m.), Dec. 30 vs. Lehigh (7 p.m.), Jan. 16 vs. Sacred Heart (7 p.m.), Jan. 25 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (1:00 p.m.) and Feb. 22 vs. Central Connecticut (4:00 p.m.).

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are still available for the 2013-14 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-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 2013-14. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2013-14 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge broadcasts of all Bulldog home and in-conference road men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Visit necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the sixth-consecutive season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM and online at bryantbulldogs.com. 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.