Bulldogs sweep SHU behind terrific trio

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Sacred Heart gave the Bulldogs all they could handle in the second half, but the Bryant University men's basketball team would weather the storm in the final minutes and hold on for a 76-67 victory over the Pioneers at the Pitt Center Sunday afternoon.

While Bryant (14-9, 6-2 Northeast Conference) commanded the action throughout the first 20 minutes en route to a 41-23 halftime lead, Sacred Heart (4-19, 1-7) reversed the feeling in the second, going 10-for-16 from 3-point land and pushing the Bulldogs to their breaking point with just 39 remaining in the game.

Steve Glowiak poured in six trifectas on nine attempts in the final 20 minutes while teammate Louis Montes went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second half to lead the Pioneer charge, as Sacred Heart outscored the Bulldogs, 44-35, after the break to close the game to as few as five points in the final minute of action.

The Pioneers started their comeback early in the frame, draining triples on four-consecutive possessions – two from Montes with another pair from Glowiak – to pull the Pioneers back within range, 50-39, just five minutes in. The margin would hover around the 12-point mark until halfway through the stanza, when Glowiak drained his fourth triple of the session to cut Bryant's margin to 59-49 with 9:17 to play.

Glowiak would convert his fifth 3-pointer of the second half and sixth of the game a minute later, bringing the hosts within single digits for the first time since the 12:46 mark of the first half, 61-52.

Sacred Heart would close the gap to five, 70-65, with 2:06 to play on Glowiak's seventh and final trey of the contest, but junior sharpshooter Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) delivered the dagger in SHU's comeback with 39 ticks on the clock, dropping in a long 3-pointer under pressure to put the game out of reach.

Starks would finish the day with a game-high 24 points, with senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) adding 20 on 8-of-10 shooting and a 4-for-5 mark from the line. Francis and junior Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) each pulled in a contest-best eight rebounds, and senior Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) added 18 points thanks to an 8-for-8 effort from the line.

The Bulldogs won the battle on the glass, 36-34, and finished the afternoon shooting 47.3 percent. Bryant went 21-for-25 (.840) from the charity stripe to SHU's 5-for-6 clip. The Pioneers shot 39.7 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from 3-point range.

Sacred Heart got on the board first to start out the game, but the Bulldogs controlled the momentum, taking off on a 14-0 run that lasted more than six minutes and put the visitors in the lead, 16-4. The run was part of a 25-5 stretch over a 9:17 span favoring the Bulldogs, as the Black and Gold opened up a 27-9 advantage entering the final eight minutes of the frame.

Sacred Heart wouldn't make up any ground but kept the play even for the remainder of the stanza, matching Bryant point for point for a 41-23 margin at the halftime break. Francis led all scorers with 16 points at the intermission, followed by 11 from Starks.

The Bulldogs close out their current three-game road swing Thursday night at Central Connecticut (7 p.m.).