Comeback falls short, Bulldogs fall to Colonials, 79-76

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Despite a heroic 30-point effort from senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.), the Bryant University men's basketball team would see its season-best four-game winning streak snapped Thursday night by Robert Morris, falling to the Colonials on the road, 79-76.

The Bulldogs (13-9, 5-2 Northeast Conference) would stage a major comeback but fall just short of achieving it in the final seconds, despite outscoring the Colonials (12-10, 7-0), 24-14, over the final eight minutes. Francis's 30 points and 10 rebounds both marked contest highs, as the senior forward registered his third-straight double-double (32nd of his career) and fourth in the last five games. Classmate Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) added 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting while junior Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) was limited to just 10 in the matchup.

Robert Morris saw two finish with more than 20 points, paced by 24 from Karvel Anderson. Anthony Myers-Pate added 21 more as the only other double-digit scorer for the Colonials, who outrebounded the Black and Gold, 36-28, on the evening.

Bryant shot a more precise 51.7 percent from the floor (31-60), but fell short of RMU's mark from long range, hitting six long balls to the hosts' nine. The Colonials shot 46.6 percent from the field with an impressive 16-for-17 clip (94.1 percent) from the free throw line.

The Bulldogs struggled to find rhythm and momentum through the entire first half after starting out the contest with three early turnovers and four quick fouls for an 11-2 game-opening hole.

Consecutive treys from Starks and sophomore Curtis Oakley (South Euclid, Ohio) closed the game to 22-14 as the clock ticked below the 10-minute mark, but the Bulldogs couldn't make up any ground against an Anderson-led Robert Morris side that would continue its high-percentage shooting.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Anderson made it 28-16 with eight minutes left in the first, and the home side's lead would grow from there, taking a 12-point, 39-27 edge with less than four minutes left to play in the opening stanza.

Bryant would close the half with a 7-3 advantage, but it would only bring the visitors within eight at the intermission, 42-34.

Robert Morris kept the momentum on its side at the start of the second, extending its lead to 11 in the opening five minutes, 51-39. And while Bryant matched RMU's pace, it couldn't make up any ground once again, as the Colonials maintained that advantage into the game's final eight minutes, 65-54.

But the Bulldogs would score the next nine points in uninterrupted fashion, keeping the Colonials off the board for 2:27 and closing the gap to just four, 65-61. The run started with a three-point play from Maynard and ended with the senior's second trifecta of the game with 5:43 left in the contest, with the plays bookending Francis's second dunk of the night.

Maynard's hot hand would stick, as the junior guard drained a three from the corner with 2:35 to play to cut Robert Morris's lead to just three, 71-68, but Myers-Pate answered going the other way to renew a six-point RMU advantage entering the final two minutes of action.

A three-point play from Francis with 1:25 remaining closed the gap to three once more, and when Anderson hit just one of two freebies going the other way, the Bulldogs pulled in the rebound and sprung Maynard, who was fouled once again as his shot when through the netting.

Maynard would hit the and-one, giving the Colonials back the ball with just a one-point, 75-74 lead. Myers-Pate would make two from the line from there, but Francis got them right back with a layup with 14.4 seconds to go for a 77-76 score still favoring Robert Morris.

The Bulldogs would be forced to foul Anderson on the ensuing possession, and the senior knocked both down from the charity stripe for yet another three-point edge. Bryant would get once last opportunity with 4.4 ticks on the clock, but a last-second Maynard trey was just off the mark, sending the Black and Gold to the locker rooms just shy of the comeback.

The Bulldogs will look to bounce back quickly but remain on the road for their next outing, a Sunday afternoon rematch against Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn. at 2:00 p.m.