Bulldogs bust Blue Devils, 79-68, on road

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) picked up his third-straight 20-point outing and fifth double-double of the last seven games, scoring a game-high 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to lead the Bryant University men's basketball team to a 79-68 victory over Central Connecticut on the road Thursday night.

Francis went 10-for-15 from the floor with a block and two steals and paced five Bulldogs (15-9, 7-2 Northeast Conference) who finished in double figures for the game. Junior Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) added 16, with 13 apiece coming from senior guard Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) and rookie forward Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.). Garvin matched his career high with the mark, while junior Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) chipped in 11 on the day, including three from downtown. The performance was Francis's seventh double-double of the year and 33rd of his Bulldog career.

The Blue Devils (6-16, 2-7) were led by Brandon Peel's double-double effort (15 points, 12 rebounds) and another 16 points from Malcolm McMillan. Khalen Cumberlander added 15 as well, with Terrell Allen scoring 13 on the evening.

CCSU opened the game on a 7-0 run that the Bulldogs would quickly answer, scoring nine uninterrupted points for a two-point edge five minutes in.

Bryant went on another run, this time an 8-0 stretch, to extend a 17-11 advantage, but the Blue Devils would tie the game at 18-18 with nine left to play in the frame.  At no point did the hosts take back over the lead, however, and a Starks tip-in off a missed three by Maynard broke a 20-20 tie, vaulting the Bulldogs back out in front for the remainder of the frame.

Bryant entered the final five minutes of the half with a 27-22 lead, and a 3-pointer from Maynard at the 3:12 mark put the visitors in front by seven, 33-26. A Maynard layup and Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) three – his second of the frame – handed the Bulldogs their largest lead of the opening 20 minutes, 38-26, as the clock ticked into the final 60 seconds, but the Blue Devils would wrap up the half with back-to-back trifectas from Allen for a 38-32 halftime margin.

CCSU doubled up Bryant, 12-6, to open the second, knotting the game at 44-44 with 13:53 left in regulation. But a trio of 3-pointers during an 11-2 stretch over the next two minutes – highlighted by consecutive triples from Starks – renewed a nine-point Bulldog lead with less than 12 minutes showing on the clock.

Allen cut that lead back to two, 57-55, with 8:41 left in the contest, but the Bulldogs would soon charge back up by eight, 69-61, with less than five to play. Bryant would keep a seven-point edge entering the final two minutes and would slow the game down from there. And while CCSU managed to force a turnover in the final minute, a Francis block gave the ball right back to the visitors, who were forced to foul.

Starks and Maynard would each hit a pair from the line in the final seconds, as the Bulldogs held on for the 79-68 victory.

Bryant shot 49.2 percent for the game with a 10-for-28 mark from downtown. The Blue Devils shot 39.4 percent from the field but went 11-for-12 from the line. The Black and Gold won the battle on the glass, 39-35.

Bryant returns to action Saturday in the second half of an NEC doubleheader. The Bulldog women will host Central Connecticut at the Chace Athletic Center at 1 p.m., followed by the men's game between Bryant and Mount St. Mary's at 4 p.m.