Bryant heads to Sacred Heart Sunday for 2 p.m. rematch

FULL GAME NOTES
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THE PARTICULARS
Bryant stays on the road for its second rematch of the week, this time heading to Fairfield, Conn., for a 2 p.m. faceoff against Sacred Heart.

THE SERIES
This is the second meeting of the season between the Bulldogs and the Pioneers, with Bryant taking an 85-70 victory over Sacred Heart just over two weeks ago in Smithfield, R.I. (Jan. 16). The Bulldogs have matched up against the Pioneers more than any other team in the NEC, and Sacred Heart holds a 16-11 advantage in a series that dates back to the 1965-66 campaign. Sacred Heart and Bryant first faced off in the programs' Division II days, where 16 of the 25 contests between these sides took place. In 11 Division I meetings, Bryant has won just three, but enters Sunday's game having won two of the last three.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart is looking to snap a five-game losing streak  and earn its second NEC win Sunday. Behind 13.2 points per game from Evan Kelley, four Pioneers average double-digit scoring on a team that averages 71.2 points each time out. Mostafa Abdel Latif (5.7 ppg) paces the side on the glass with 5.4 rebounds per outing, while Phil Gaetano (6.9 ppg) is issuing 6.6 assists per contest. Chris Evans (12.1 ppg) and Louis Montes (12.3) also help pace Sacred Heart to a 42.4 percent shooting clip as a team and nearly 34 percent accuracy beyond the arc.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 5-2 against the Northeast Conference in 2013-14 with a 26-51 record (.338) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 40-68 (.370), 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.

UP NEXT
Bryant heads back to Connecticut for its next contest and will take on Central Connecticut in New Britain Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m.

SECOND TO ONE
Junior guard Dyami Starks and senior forward Alex Francis are the second highest scoring duo in Division I college basketball this season, scoring a combined 39.6 points per game. The only Louisiana Lafayette's combo of sophomore forward Shawn Long and junior guard Elfrid Payton score more in tandem, averaging just 0.2 points per game more than Bryant's top pair (39.8).

FRANCIS FANTASTIC
Bulldog standout Alex Francis has been on fire as of late. The senior forward picked up his second 30-point outing of the season and third-consecutive double-double Thursday night at Robert Morris and has now scored 20 or more points in seven of the last eight contests (six straight from Dec. 30 through Jan. 23). Francis's double-double performance (30p, 10r) at Robert Morris was his sixth of the year and fourth in the last five games and marked the 32nd such outing of his Bulldog career. In Northeast Conference play, the senior is averaging 24.9 points and 9.6 rebounds each time out while shooting 62.1 percent from the floor.

FOR THE 100TH TIME...
Thursday against Robert Morris, starting guard Corey Maynard appeared in the 100th game of his career, joining teammates Alex Francis (Dec. 7 against North Dakota State) and Claybrin McMath (Dec. 30 against Lehigh) in reaching the benchmark.

THE BEST OF THE BEST
Having joined the 1,000-point club last season, senior forward Alex Francis is just 78 points away from joining an even greater echelon of scorers. Francis — who averages 19.6 points per game so far this season — is on pace to score his 2,000th point Feb. 13 at Mount St. Mary's. The senior would become just the third player to cross the threshold in the history of Bryant basketball, joining only Tom Smile (2,390 from 1963-67) and Ernie DeWitt (2,239 from 1977-81), and would be the first to do so at the Division I level. Currently, there are just two active DI players in the nation with 2,000 points — Creighton's Doug McDermott and Oakland's Travis Bader.

STARKS ON FIRE
After both scoring his 1,000th career point and recording his fifth 30+ point performance of the season last week in victories over LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn, junior sharpshooter Dyami Starks earned his fourth Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week honor of the year Monday. Starks averaged 27.0 points per game to help lead Bryant to another 2-0 week, and his 20.0 scoring average on the year now ranks 25th in the country. This is the second-straight week a Bulldog has won the NEC Player of the Week honor (Corey Maynard, Jan. 20).

GET ME TO THE LINE
The Bulldogs set a pair of Division I program records in last Saturday's win over St. Francis Brooklyn, breaking the marks in free throws made (35) and free throws attempted (44).

Bryant set a new program mark at any level Jan. 18 with its team shooting from long range, converting 11-of-17 from 3-point land for a 64.7 percent clip in a victory of Fairleigh Dickinson, breaking the previous school record of 63.2 percent (12-19) set against Quinnipiac in January 2013.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
With a layup just 49 seconds into the second half Jan. 23 against LIU Brooklyn, junior guard Dyami Starks became the 34th player in program history to reach the 1,000 point threshold. He also becomes the third player in the last two seasons to accomplish the feat. Current senior Alex Francis (1922 points) and Director of Operations Frankie Dobbs (1232 points) each joined the club in 2012-13. Senior point guard Corey Maynard is knocking on the door as well, needing just 88 more points for 1,000 in his career. Maynard, who is currently averaging 13.0 points per game, needs to average 9.8 points each time out to reach the goal by the conclusion of the 2013-14 regular season.

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 30, the senior is ranked second in career field goals (currently 727), fifth in total points (1,922), sixth in total rebounds (895), sixth in career double-doubles (32), 12th in free throws made (455), 16th in career scoring average (17.0 ppg) and 24th in rebounding average (7.9). He is one of just seven active players to have 1,500 points and 750 rebounds to his name. Francis also ranks 19th in field goal percentage this season (.581) and 30th in points per game (19.6).

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE NEC RANKINGS
Bryant senior forward Alex Francis reached yet another plateau on his march up the NEC career scoring chart, moving up to ninth all-time with 1,922 career points. The senior forward needs 24 more points to take over the No. 8 spot on the charts but will need to cross over the 2,000-point threshold to make it into the top 5.

Francis climbs to 11th on the league's all-time rebounding list (895) and has a chance to become the first player in conference history to finish with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He needs 21 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-3 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (first) and minutes played.

FRANCHISE FRANCIS: IN THE BRYANT RANKINGS
With nine regular-season games still to play, senior forward Alex Francis is already seated among the greatest scorers and rebounders the program has ever seen. His 24-point performance Jan. 23 against LIU Brooklyn vaulted him into third on the all-time scoring list, however Francis would need 317 more points to move up any farther in the rankings.

Francis enters Sunday's matchup ranked fourth on the rebounding charts with 895 in his career after passing Jason Noel with his 11 rebounds on Jan. 23. He needs 92 more to reach third all time. He also ranks in the program's top-10 in scoring average, field goals, field goal percentage, free throws made and rebounding average.

MORE MILESTONES FOR FRANCIS
Senior forward and preseason all-conference pick Alex Francis recorded the 100th double-digit scoring outing of his career Jan. 25 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (19 points). Francis, who has appeared in 112-career games, is also two starts shy of 100 and has posted double-figure points in all but two contests so far this season.

DUNK COUNT
The dunk count is on once again in 2013-14. The reign of senior Alex Francis still holds strong, but rookie forward Dan Garvin has also gotten some hangtime this season, with the pair combining for 32 dunks. Reigning NEC Player of the Week Dyami Starks threw down his first dunk of his Bulldog career in Saturday's win over St. Fracnis Brooklyn to bring the total to 33 on the year.

A CONCENTRATED EFFORT
The Bulldogs have certainly added depth in 2013-14, but the Bryant bench has yet to prove it on the scoreboard. Against Division I opponents this season, just three Bulldog starters — junior Dyami Starks and seniors Alex Francis and Corey Maynard — are responsible for more than 70 percent of Bryant's total scoring (1118 of 1588 points). If you go outside the starting lineup, Bryant's bench has contributed just 203 points so far this season (12.8 percent).

HISTORY IN THE MAKING?
In what has already been a season filled with milestones, senior forward Alex Francis has one more historic height to reach. With 1,922 points and 895 rebounds, Francis has the potential to become the first player in NEC history to score 2,000 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds in a career. An All-NEC First Teamer last season and unanimous Preseason All-NEC pick, he will need to average 8.7 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per outing to hit those marks before the conclusion of the regular season.

A former NEC Rookie of the Year and potential Player of the Year candidate this season, Francis has boasted back-to-back 500-point campaigns, but will need to post a career season on the glass (272) to be the first to hit historic mark. Currently, Francis is the NEC's active scoring leader and ranks second in career rebounds among all active players on the league circuit.

#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.

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.