Bulldogs drop nailbiter, 66-62, to open BlackRock Gotham Classic

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite a game-high 26 points from junior leading scorer Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) and a hard-fought battle in front of a raucous home crowd, the Bryant University men's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the season, 66-62, to North Dakota State University Saturday afternoon in the first game of the BlackRock Gotham Classic.

Senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) paced the game on the glass with nine rebounds to compliment 15 points (3 assists, 1 block) for the Bulldogs (6-3), and classmate Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) added 13 more with four assists and a pair of steals. TrayVonn Wright paced the visiting Bison (6-3) with 18 points, with Marshall Bjorklund and Taylor Braun chipping in 15 and 14, respectively, on the day.

The Bulldogs took a 29-24 lead into the halftime break after a evenly matched first stanza, but North Dakota State quickly made up the deficit in the opening minutes of the second, knotting the game at 33-33 less than five minutes in on a Wright freebie.

While the lead would teeter back and forth from there, neither side would take more than a one-possession edge until the final minutes of the contest. Tied at 45-45 with 7:35 to go, Wright sparked an 11-2 NDSU run over a three-minute span that put the visitors up by nine, 56-47. The Bulldogs would cut that lead to five, 58-53, with 76 seconds to go, but Bjorklund answered, converting a three-point play with less than a minute showing for a 61-53 advantage.

Two free throws from Maynard followed by a Starks corner three with 36.1 seconds to play cut deficit to a single possession, 61-58. Sophomore Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, Conn.) would nab the ensuing inbound pass away from NDSU, resulting in a quick layup underneath from Maynard to pull the Bulldogs back within one, 61-60, with just seconds remaining.

But Maynard would foul Wright with 17.7 seconds left, and a deep Starks 3-point attempt the other way was blocked by Kory Brown with seven ticks remaining. Bryant would have to foul from there, allowing Bjorklund to extend North Dakota State's lead to four with a pair of makes, all but securing the Bison victory.

Starks would go coast-to-coast for an unobstructed baseline layup to get within a basket on the next possession, but the play left just 2.1 seconds on the clock. Bryant would foul immediately on the inbound pass, but Braun converted from the line for the 66-62 final.

The game was tight throughout the opening 20 minutes, with the Bison taking an 11-9 advantage seven minutes in on a fade-away jumper from Braun. The hosts would take over once more at the 10:23 mark, though, and a Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) trifecta coupled with a Starks steal and breakaway layup afforded the home side a 17-13 margin.

After a Braun three, the Black and Gold would score eight of the next 10 points for a 25-18 lead as the clock ticked under four to play in the opening half, but a Maynard trey at the 2:17 mark would be the Bulldogs' final field goal of the frame. NDSU's Mike Felt would foul Curtis Oakley (South Euclid, Ohio) on a breakaway with 1.3 seconds to go, sending the sophomore to the free throw line for one more point and sending the Bulldogs into the locker room with a 29-24 halftime lead.

On the afternoon, the Bulldogs shot 41.1 percent with a 26.1 percent clip from beyond the arc while going 10-for-12 from the free throw line. The Bison shot 43.3 percent on the contest, as Bryant held NDSU to its second-lowest shooting percentage of the season. NDSU converted 3-of-11 from long range and 11-of-15 from the charity stripe and would dominate on the glass, 44-28, including 18 offensive boards that led to a whopping 25 second-chance points.

The Bulldogs now have just a single off day between each of their next two BlackRock Gotham Classic outings and will travel to Notre Dame Monday for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Irish live on ESPNU. Bryant will then continue on to Columbus, Ohio, to match up against the No. 5 team in the nation in Ohio State, a game that can be seen live on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m.