No. 3 Ohio State too much for Bulldogs

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Bryant University men's basketball team played tough against No. 3 Ohio State at Value City Arena but was outmatched by its nationally ranked opponent, falling to the Buckeyes, 86-48, in the BlackRock Gotham Classic Wednesday night.

The game was the third in the last five days for the Bulldogs (6-5), who play again Saturday at home against Navy (12:30 p.m.). Junior Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) paced the Black and Gold with 16 points (5-15) while rookie Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) added seven points and a game-high nine rebounds. Garvin would pick up the team's only two blocks of the contest.

Senior Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) chipped in nine points with five rebounds for the visitors, while sophomore Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) dished out a game-high six helpers in his second start of the season, tying his career best.

The Buckeyes (9-0) stayed perfect on the season and were led by 19 points from Lenzelle Smith Jr. and 12 more from Amir Williams. Ohio State shot 52.5 percent for the game and 40 percent from long range while the Bulldogs hit just 16-of-58 (.276) from the field with six 3-pointers, including three from Starks. Bryant knotted the Buckeyes on the glass, though, with each side posting 38. Of those, 16 came on the offensive glass for the Black and Gold.

After hanging tough through the opening 12 minutes, the Bulldogs saw a single-digit OSU lead quickly turn into a 15-point advantage, 35-20, with 5:45 to play in the frame. Starks would drain his second trifecta seconds later to bring it back to 12, but Bryant wouldn't score from there over the final 5:25 of the first half as the Buckeyes built their lead to 20 points, 43-23, entering the intermission.

The Bulldogs struggled with ball control without the leadership and of starting point guard Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia), who was a game time scratch. Turnovers hurt the team throughout the half, as Bryant gave the ball away 12 times for 13 Buckeye points in the first compared to just five OSU miscues. But the Black and Gold kept the half close on the glass, heading to halftime with just a 16-15 rebounding deficit.

Ohio State would rush out to a 64-33 lead to start the second, scoring 21 of the first 31 of the frame through the second media timeout. The No. 3 team in the nation would not slow down, either, eventually outscoring the Bulldogs, 43-25, in the stanza en route to the 86-48 final.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday afternoon against the Midshipmen at home in the Chace Athletic Center.