Bulldogs top Blackbirds, 81-62, earn #3 seed in NEC Tourney

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – On the heels of a career-high 15 points from sophomore guard Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.), the Bryant University men's basketball team clinched the #3 overall seed in the 2014 Northeast Conference Tournament with an 81-62 victory at LIU Brooklyn Saturday evening.

The Bulldogs (18-13, 10-6 Northeast Conference) held the Blackbirds (9-20, 4-12 NEC) without a field goal for the first 6:47 of the second half to open a substantial double-digit advantage, which they held for the remainder of the contest to wrap up the regular season in the win column.

Senior point guard Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia) led all scorers with 19 points and seven assists, while senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) put up 15 points and 11 rebounds. McLaughlin finished the contest with a career-best 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 from deep. Junior Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) chipped in 12 points and 10 boards for his first double double of the year, while junior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) added 12 points, five boards, five rebounds and a career-high six steals.

E.J. Reed led LIU with 16 points and nine boards, while Jaspn Brickman dished out 12 assists to go along with six points.

Behind nine early points from O'Shea, the Bulldogs opened a 15-7 advantage over the Blackbirds with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half. Bryant then went on to open a 9-2 run highlighted by an emphatic Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) slam, however five-straight points from LIU brought the hosts with six, 24-18, with 7:07 left in the period.

The Black and Gold built their edge up to 10 points but the Blackbirds would not allow it to get any larger as some timely 3-point shooting and a last-second layup as time expired cut the lead to four points, 36-32, heading into the locker room.

McLaughlin and Francis paced Bryant with 10 points apiece, while O'Shea added nine of his own in 20 minutes of action. Seven of the nine players who saw action for LIU made it into the boxscore, led by seven points from Reed.

It was the Bryant defense that came to play in the opening minutes of the second half, creating turnovers to kick start the Bulldog offense to push the lead to 11 points, 47-33, with just over 16 minutes to play.

The Bulldogs 18-3 run to open the second period lasted nearly seven minutes and put the visitors on top, 54-35. The two teams traded buckets for the latter part of the second half but the Black and gold maintained their comfortable double-figure lead through the final buzzer.

With results today, the Bulldogs clinch the #3 overall seed in 2014 NEC Tournament, earning the right to host #6 Saint Francis U., Wednesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.