O'Shea, McLaughlin pace Bulldogs to fifth-straight NEC victory, 74-69, over LIU Brooklyn Thursday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior captain Joe O'Shea (Burlington, Vt.) picked up his first double-double of the season and second of his career Thursday night, leading the Bryant University men's basketball team to its fifth-straight Northeast Conference victory, 74-69, over LIU Brooklyn.

O'Shea's 12 rebounds to complement a stellar 15-point performance marked a career high and game best, while junior point guard Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) tied his season high with 12 points and knotted his career mark with eight assists on the night. Senior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, Minn.) led the game with 16 points. Sophomore forward Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) and rookie guard Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.) also finished in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively, marking the third time this season five Bulldogs (9-8, 6-1 NEC) have reached double digits.

Martin Hermannsson led the Blackbirds (6-12, 2-5) with 13 points, while Nura Zanna added 11 with a side-best seven rebounds. Iverson Fleming chipped in 10 points for the visitors, who shot 45.5 percent from the floor despite the loss.

The Bulldogs completed the season sweep on 41.1 percent shooting from the floor but returned to a strong perimeter game with 11-of-29 shooting from beyond the arc. Bryant won the battle on the glass for the third-straight game, 38-30.

A 7-0 run capped off by a Gerrell Martin (9 points) three gave LIU Brooklyn a five-point edge with 5:39 to go in the first frame, 24-19, but the Bulldogs responded, reigning the Blackbirds back in on an O'Shea layup and Starks triple to reknot the score. But the Bulldogs would score just one more point in the half and would be outscored by LIU Brooklyn, 8-0, in the final two minutes of the frame to send the Blackbirds into halftime leading, 32-25.

Bryant made up that deficit in the first five minutes of the second stanza, evening the score at 38-38 on the first of two made free throws by sophomore forward Andrew Scocca (Melrose, Mass.). The score would remain tight over the next five minutes, before a triple from Curtis Oakley (South Euclid, Ohio) put the home side ahead by two possessions, 50-46, with 10 minutes still to play.

Garvin's only block of the game with nine minutes to play led to the sophomore's third dunk of the day for a 52-48 Bulldog lead after McLaughlin brought it the length of the court before dishing it off under the rim.

After the Blackbirds tied it at 52-52, McLaughlin would score the next five to bring the clock down to 6:20, and Bryant would enter the final five minutes of regulation with a 59-53 advantage.

Fouls would send both sides to the free throw line for nearly all the scoring over the next three minutes, with a 6-2 LIU margin bringing the visitors within two, 61-59, with 2:30 to go. A McLaughlin pull-up jumper from the right side pushed the clock below the two-minute mark, and four-straight free throw makes from Garvin gave the Black and Gold a seven-point, 67-60 advantage with 60 ticks remaining.

Bryant extended its lead to nine, 73-64, with 22 seconds to play, but a Trevon Woods 3-pointer with 12 to go followed by a Fleming layup off a steal of the ensuing in-bounds pass cut that margin down to just four, 73-69.

But the Bulldogs would ultimately hold on for the victory, securing the season sweep of the Blackbirds with a 74-69 final margin.

The Bulldogs remain at home for one more contest to wrap up a three-game homestand and will host Sacred Heart Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center. The 4:00 p.m. tip is the second half of an NEC men's/women's doubleheader and can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.