Bulldogs threaten late, fall at Akron, 72-66

AKRON, Ohio – The Bryant University men's basketball team pushed the University of Akron to the brink in the closing minutes of Sunday's contest but couldn't complete the comeback before running out of time, falling to the Zips, 72-66, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Entering the second half with just a three-point, 32-29 deficit, the Bulldogs (1-3) tied the score at 40-40 when a corner three from senior Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) dropping in four minutes into the frame.

Bryant took its first lead of the game, 44-40, less than three minutes later thanks to a pair of freebies from senior guard and leading scorer Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) and a nifty layup from junior guard and local product Curtis Oakley (South Euclid, Ohio), but the Zips (4-2) would respond with 14 uninterrupted points to regain the lead and take a 54-44 advantage with 10:20 left in on the clock.

Akron would grow its lead from there, and the 14-point stretch would turn into a 19-4 run by the home side before another Starks 3-pointer cut the deficit back to single digits, 59-51, with 6:25 remaining. The hosts renewed their double-digit lead quickly, though, and would hold it all the way down to the final minute of regulation, 67-57.

But with 60 seconds left to play, the Black and Gold stepped on the gas, as consecutive treys from Starks, redshirt-freshman Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) (7 points) and redshirt-junior Zach Chionuma (Jamesville, N.Y.) (9 points) – partnered with misses from the Zips at the line – closed the gap to a single possession, 69-66, with 22 seconds on the clock. The Bulldogs would fail to score again in the closing seconds, though, falling short of the comeback despite late opportunities.

Starks led the contest with a season-high 25 points, surpassing the 20-point mark for the first time this year and the 24th time of his career. The senior captain took all but a single shot from long range, going 7-of-16 from the field with a season-best seven treys, also going 4-for-4 from the line. Oakley joined Starks as the only other double-figure scorer for the Bulldogs, finishing the game with 13 points (5-8) and a perfect 3-for-3 mark from beyond the arc.

Sophomore forward Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) led the contest on the glass with six rebounds (2 points, 2 assists), while junior point guard Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) dished out a game-high and season-best seven assists with two steals and three points. O'Shea grabbed a game-best three steals.

Akron was paced by 14 points from Noah Robotham and got 12 more from Deji Ibitayo and 10 from Pat Forsythe. Ibitayo and Nyles Evans tied Garvin's six boards, and the Zips outrebounded the Bulldogs, 41-32, on the night. Bryant shot 35 percent in the contest with a .464 clip from downtown, while Akron posted a .462 shooting clip from the floor.

After a 6-0 Akron run to start the game, a 7-0 Bryant spurt highlighted by the first three of the night from Starks closed Bryant's deficit to just a single point, 13-12, at the 10:14 mark. But the Zips would take some breathing room right back with an 8-1 run of its own highlighted by a trey from Reggie McAdams to go up, 21-14, with 8:34 to play.

Another McAdams long ball made it 29-18 with 3:39 left on the first-half clock, but the visitors would take over the final minutes of the frame, using points from Starks (6) and Oakley (5) to outscore Akron, 11-3, through the remainder of the stanza to enter the intermission down by just a single possession, 32-29.

The Bulldogs return to action at home Wednesday night, hosting Yale at the Chace Athletic Center at 7:30 p.m. The game will tip off following the conclusion of the women's contest against Holy Cross (5:00 p.m.).