Bryant welcomes LIU Brooklyn to the Chace

FULL GAME NOTES
TV: Cox Sports/FCS Atlantic/MSG+
Watch: NECfrontrow.com / CoxSportsOnline.com
Listen: WOON 1240 AM
Live Stats: bryantbulldogs.com
Follow along on Twitter: @BryantGameday

THE PARTICULARS
Bryant is back at the Chace Athletic Center after a one-game road break and is ready to take on NEC foe LIU Brooklyn in front of the Bulldog student body for the first time this semester. Thursday's 7 p.m. game will be broadcast live on Cox Sports, MSG+ and FCS Atlantic.

THE SERIES
This is the ninth meeting all time between the Bulldogs and the Blackbirds, as Bryant goes for just its second win against the club and first since topping LIU Brooklyn back in the 2008-09 campaign. That season, the teams split the two-game series, but the Blackbirds have emerged victorious in every contest since, winning the last six matchups. Last time these teams met, LIU topped Bryant, 79-78, at the Chace in front of a sellout crowd.

SCOUTING THE BLACKBIRDS
Lando Atterberry (12.3 ppg) paces four LIU Brooklyn players who average double-digit points and is one of two players shooting better than 50 percent on the season (.535). The nation's assists leader in senior point guard Jason Brickman sits second at 11.6 points per game, having dished out 161 assists with 22 steals so far in 2013-14. Gerrell Martin and E.J. Reed each chip in 11.4 points per outing, with the latter leading the side on the glass with 5.1 boards per contest. As a team, LIU Brooklyn scores 72.4 points per game but allows opponents 81.3 each time out. The Blackbirds enter Smithfield fresh off their first NEC win, a 62-61 topping of CCSU.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 3-1 against the Northeast Conference in 2013-14 with a 24-50 record (.324) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 38-67 (.362), having most frequently faced off against regional rival Sacred Heart (11-16). Bryant went 12-6 against league opponents last season, finishing tied for second in the regular-season standings to earn a No. 4 seed in the 2013 NEC Tournament.

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER
Senior captain and starting guard Corey Maynard had the Bryant offense in overdrive last week as the Bulldogs improved to 3-1 in NEC play with a pair of double-digit wins, and the Australian native was rewarded with the first NEC Player of the Week honor of his career. Maynard stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. He also made 70.4 percent of his shot attempts and drilled 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Maynard opened the week on Thursday with 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals as the Bulldogs knocked off visiting Sacred Heart, 85-70. With Bryant leading, 54-49, four minutes into the second half, the senior guard scored 10 straight points for the Bulldogs to keep the Pioneers at bay. On Saturday, Maynard put on an incredible shooting display to set a new career high with 30 points. He made 12-of-15 from the field and all three of his 3-point attempts in a 95-68 win at Fairleigh Dickinson. Maynard ranks in the NEC top-15 in seven categories this season: scoring (12.7, 12th), rebounding (4.8, 15th), assists (5.0, 6th), field goal percentage (.482, 10th), free throw percentage (.800, 6th), steals (1.72, 3rd) and assist/TO ratio (1.73, 8th). The senior was also named the College Sports Madness NEC Player of the Week.

HITTING THE MARK
Not only did numerous Bulldogs set individual season and career highs Saturday against the Knights, but the team as a whole also set a new program record with their shooting from beyond the arc. Bryant hit 11-of-17 from 3-point land in the victory for a 64.7 percent clip, breaking the previous school record of 63.2 percent (12-19) set against Quinnipiac in January 2013.

As for individual performances, senior Corey Maynard set new career marks in points (30) and made field goals (12), sophomore guard Shane McLaughlin set new career highs in points (10) assists (8), free throws made (5), free throws taken (7) and minutes (39), sophomore Curtis Oakley recorded personal bests in 3-pointers made (4) and taken (6), and junior Joe O'Shea pulled down a career-best nine rebounds. Bryant also shot a season-high 58.9 percent (33-56) from the floor.

MAKING MILESTONES
Head coach Tim O'Shea earned his 50th win at Bryant University with Saturday's 95-68 road victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. He currently boasts 170 career victories as a head coach.

1,000 REASONS...
Speaking of milestones, junior sharpshooter Dyami Starks is poised to become the third player in a two-year span to join the 1,000-point club. He enters Thursday's contest with 991 career points, 88 of those coming during his freshman campaign at Columbia (2010-11). Starks needs just nine more points to eclipse the 1,000-point threshold.

FRANCIS ON FIRE
Senior Alex Francis has been on fire as of late and extended his current 20-point game streak to five after a 22-point outing in Saturday's road victory over FDU. His five-straight contests with 20 or more points marks the longest such run of his career and dates back to Dec. 30. In that span, Francis has paced the Bulldogs to a 4-1 record, averaging an impressive 24.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest. The New York native is shooting 64.7 percent from the floor in that time (44-68) and adds seven assists, two blocks and four steals. He also recorded his third double-double of the season  — the 29th of his collegiate career — during the stretch, registering 27 points and a season-best 11 rebounds in a win over Sacred Heart at home on Jan. 16.

BROTHERLY LOVE
Rookie guard Justin Brickman will see a very familiar face on his home court Thursday night, as big brother and top NEC point guard Jason Brickman leads his Blackbird team against the Bulldogs in Smithfield. The San Antonio natives have played together before — in 2009-10 at Clark High School — but will face off against each other for the first time Thursday night. The Brickman-led Cougars went 29-7 and won the District 5-A Championship in 2009-10, as Jason was named District MVP and Class 5A All-State. Justin would go on to help the team win 75 games over his final three high school seasons, including a 25-9 mark as a senior.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, VICTORY
The Bulldogs are 3-0 this season in games broadcast by Cox Sports and the Ocean State Network.

MAYNARD APPROACHING CAREER MILESTONE
Senior point guard Corey Maynard could also eclipse the 1,000-point milestone this season. The senior needs 133 points to hit the mark, though, and  will need to average 11.1 points per game to achieve the feat by the end of the regular season. He is currently averaging 12.7 points per game in 2013-14.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
For the third-straight game, Bryant dished out 20 or more assists Saturday afternoon in New Jersey. The Bulldogs set the season-high assists mark with 21 last Thursday night at home against Sacred Heart after registering 20 assists Jan. 11 against Robert Morris.

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
In the latest NCAA rankings, Bryant senior forward Alex Francis currently sits among the top active NCAA Division I players in numerous categories. As of January 19, the senior is ranked third in career field goals (currently 701), sixth in total points (1,849), seventh in total rebounds (862), seventh in career double-doubles (29), 14th in career scoring average (16.8 ppg), 14th in free throws made (434) and 27th in rebounding average (7.8). He is one of just five active players to have 1,500 points and 750 rebounds to his name. Francis also ranks 18th in field goal percentage this season (.587), 11th in field goals made (135) and 51st in points per game (18.9).

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE NEC RANKINGS
Bryant senior forward Alex Francis reached yet another plateau on his march up the NEC career scoring chart and enters Thursday's game ranked 12th all-time with 1,849 career points. The senior forward needs just 26 more points to enter the top 10 but will need to cross over the 2,000-point threshold to make it into the top 5.

Francis remains in 12th on the league's all-time rebounding list (862) and has a chance to become the first player in conference history to finish with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He needs 54 boards to break into the top 10.

More Francis/NEC Highlights...
» Francis has the chance to become the first player in conference annals to finish in the top-10 in both points and rebounds.

» Francis is one of just four players in NEC history to rank in the top 20 in both scoring and rebounding in his career, joining the likes of CCSU's Ken Horton, LIU's Jamal Olasewere and Marist's Rik Smits.

» Francis is one of just 13 players in NEC history to reach 1,500 points and 750 rebounds in his career, and one of just five players in the league annals to reach 1,700 points and 800 boards.

» He currently ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (first) and minutes played.

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE BRYANT RANKINGS
With half a season still to play, senior forward Alex Francis is already seated among the greatest scorers and rebounders the program has ever seen. He currently sits fourth on the all-time scoring list, needing just six points to top all-time great Dave Sorafine and take over the No. 3 spot. To move up to No. 2, however, Francis would need 390 more points, a near-impossible order with just 12 regular-season games left to play.

Francis enters Thursday's matchup ranked fifth on the rebounding charts with 862 in his career. He needs just seven more boards to take over fourth place in that category. Francis also ranks in the program's top-10 in scoring average, field goals, field goal percentage, free throws made and rebounding average.

#6THFAN
Bryant has the best fans in the NCAA. Now, it's time to prove it. The NCAA's 6th Fan contest is a nationwide online competition that will determine which Division I school has the most pride and the most supportive fans. Fans can be a part of the action and help Bryant earn over $100,000 in general scholarship contributions by voting for the Bulldogs once a day every day at ncaa.com/6thFan now until Feb. 16. Fans can also vote on Twitter by tweeting or retweeting the hashtags #6thFan and #BRYANT (both hashtags must appear for vote to count). The contest also includes prizes for individual fans, including an iPad Air and an all-expense paid trip to the 2015 Men's Final Four in North Texas April 5-7.

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.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs are back at the Chace Athletic Center and back on Cox Sports and the Ocean State Network for Saturday's contest against St. Francis Brooklyn at 1 p.m.