Bulldogs, Catamounts clash in Vermont Wednesday at 7p
SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team takes on its second-straight America East opponent Wednesday night, traveling to Burlington, Vt., to challenge the University of Vermont in a pre-Thanksgiving bout. Wednesday's contest will tip off at 7 p.m. from Patrick Gymnasium and can be heard on WOON 1240AM.
THE SERIES
This is the second meeting in as many seasons between the Bulldogs and the Catamounts after Bryant won last year's series opener at the Chace Athletic Center, 87-64.
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
Vermont hosts its second home contest of the year Wednesday night and boasts a 2-2 record with wins over Siena, 84-76, and Southern Vermont, 86-41. Bigman Ethan O'Day leads the Catamounts at 13.0 points per game and has 10 blocks on the young season with an impressive .750 shooting clip from the floor, while Trae Bell-Haynes is also shooting with nearly 70 percent accuracy while averaging 12.8 points each time out. Hector Harold also averages double figures (10.3 ppg) and, along with Kurt Steidl, paces UVM on the glass at 5.0 boards per contest. As a team, the Catamounts are shooting an impressive 52.3 percent, thanks in part to a .684 shooting clip in their victory over Siena. Vermont is outrebounding opponents 33.5 to 29.3, however, Wednesday's hosts have also struggled to hold onto the ball, averaging nearly 18 turnovers each time out.
CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. VERMONT
Eight current Bulldogs saw time in Bryant's only other meeting with UVM, with five seeing 10 or more minutes of floor time. Now-senior guard Dyami Starks played nearly every second of the contest en route to a 30-point outing (9-19), while classmate and Bulington native Joe O'Shea added 15 of his own (4-5). Junior guard Curtis Oakley also hit double-digits against the Catamounts, scoring 10 points in 23 minutes on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor.
BRYANT vs. THE AMERICA EAST
Wednesday's contest marks the second of back-to-back contests against members of the America East Conference for the Bulldogs. Bryant is 1-0 against the league this season after Thursday's 72-63 home win over the University of New Hampshire, and the Black and Gold enter the game 5-3 against the league at the Division I level with a 15-11 mark against current America East members since the 2000-01 season. Since joining the Division I ranks in 2008-09, Bryant has met up with America East members Binghamton (1-1), New Hampshire (3-0), Vermont (1-0) and Albany (0-2).
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs close out November action Sunday afternoon in Ohio,taking on first-time opponent Akron at 5:00 p.m.
50 NIFTY
In Thursday night's home opener against UNH, Bryant used a 12-0 start and 56 percent first-half shooting to score 50 points in a single half for the first time since Jan. 24 (at Saint Francis U.). Senior guard Dyami Starks scored a half-high nine points on 4-for-9 shooting, while rookie Hunter Ware scored all eight of his points in the opening 20 minutes.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
And while the Bulldogs led the Wildcats, 50-26, at the intermission, the second half was all UNH. Thursday's visitors opened up the half on a 35-10 run that saw a 24-point deficit turn into a one-point, 61-60 lead with 6:14 left in the contest. Despite its second-half struggles, however, Bryant used an uninterrupted 8-0 run from senior guard Dyami Starks to spark a 12-2 Bulldog stretch to finish off the game, allowing the hosts to get back out front for the eventual 72-63 victory. Starks would score 10 of the team's final 12 points.
ROOKIE LOOKS
A number of Bulldog newcomers have already contributed to the Bulldogs' success in 2014-15, none moreso than rookie forward Gus Riley. The 6-foot-8 New Zealand native has started both contests this year and averages nine points with four rebounds in 31 minutes of play each time out. Riley went 4-for-6 from the floor in the season opener against reigning national champion UConn and is 7-of-12 (.583) on the year. Frosh guard Hunter Ware has also made his mark in the opening two games, averaging 6.0 points in 17 minutes, while redshirt-junior guard Zach Chionuma is 5-for-11 in his first two games donning the Black and Gold after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules (Boston University). Redshirt-freshman Bosko Kostur also made the most of his short minutes in Thursday's home opener against UNH, hitting back-to-back threes for six points in just three minutes of floor time.
BULLDOGS ANNOUNCE 2014-15 BROADCAST PACKAGE, BRYANT TO HOST ESPNU GAME FEB. 5
The Bryant University men's basketball team will be featured on live national and regional broadcasts four times throughout the 2014-15 season, including twice as part of the 30-game NEC TV package. The Bulldogs' season opener against reigning national champion UConn will air live on SNY, ESPN FullCourt and ESPN3 on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The team's next appearance won't come until after the new year, as the Bulldogs make their national TV debut on Thursday, Jan. 29 in Loretto, Pa., in a rematch of last year's NEC Tournament Quarterfinal against Saint Francis U. The game will be carried on Fox College Sports, Cox Sports, Root Sports and ESPN3. The men return to ESPN3 for a Feb. 2 match against Pittsburgh. The Bulldogs then welcome defending NEC champ Mount St. Mary's to Smithfield on Feb. 5 to host the first-ever nationally televised game from the Chace Athletic Center live on ESPNU.
OVERSEAS UPDATE
Many graduated Bulldogs aren't done when they leave the Chace Athletic Center court. Four former Bryant players are still active on rosters overseas entering this season, including 2014 graduates Alex Francis and Corey Maynard. Francis currently suits up for Haukar of the Icelandic Dominos League and is among the league's leaders in points (25.4), rebounds (15.0) and steals (2.4). Maynard signed a contract to play for Cairns Taipans of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) back in April, while 2013 graduate Vlad Kondratyev is still playing professionally in the Ukraine. Adam Parzych ('10) plays for Krosno in Poland.
TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are available for the 2014-15 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Tickets can be purchased online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-TIXX.
BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the seventh season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. 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.