Bulldogs return home to host Robert Morris in Saturday afternoon rematch (4:00 p.m.)

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team returns home to close out the 2014-15 regular season with a three-game homestand at the Chace Athletic Center, starting off with a rematch against Robert Morris Saturday afternoon (4:00 p.m.).

THE SERIES
This is the 11th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Colonials, with Robert Morris holding a commanding 8-2 edge in the series. And while it is Bryant that owns the victory this season after coming away with a 71-68 win in Moon Township, Pa., back on Jan. 31, the Bulldogs are winless in four tries at home against RMU.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Marquise Reed (15.1), Rodney Pryor (14.4) and Lucky Jones (13.7) all average double-digit points for Robert Morris this season, as the trio accounts for more than 61 percent of all Colonial scoring. Reed (.517), Elijah Minnie (.549, 6.0 ppg) and Aaron Tate (.523, 4.2 ppg) all convert more than 50 percent of their shots to lead RMU's 44 percent accuracy as a unit, while Reed and Pryor are tops from downtown, shooting 42.9 and 40.7 percent, respectively. Jones pulls in 6.4 rebounds per game to lead the Colonials, while Kavon Stewart is the team's top distributor with 107 assists (4.1/game). As a team, Robert Morris pulls in 33.4 rebounds per outing and scores 67.3 points per game. The Colonials sit just a game behind the Bulldogs and are tied for third in the NEC standings.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 10-5 in Northeast Conference play in 2014-15 and sport a 41-61 record (.402) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 55-78 (.414). Entering Saturday's action, Bryant sits in sole possession of second place in the NEC standings and has clinched a place in the upcoming NEC Tournament.

BULLDOGS CLINCH NEC TOURNAMENT BERTH
For the third-straight year, Bryant is moving on to the postseason. The Bulldogs clinched one of eight spots in the 2015 NEC Tournament with a 74-71 win at FDU Feb. 12, and the full tournament field has now been set. With three regular-season games left to play, the Bulldogs will now be jockeying for position and home-court advantage, with the league's top four teams hosting quarterfinal matchups.

SHOOTING PROFILE
For just the second time this season, the Bulldogs shot less than 40 percent from the field (.345) and still came away with the victory Thursday night at Wagner. The only other time Bryant has done so was in a 73-60 win over FDU back on Jan. 10 (.392). Bryant is now 2-9 on the season when shooting below .400 but is 11-4 when converting at least 40 percent of its shots. Conversely, the Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent for the second-consecutive game Saturday against the Mount, converting 53.8 percent from the floor despite the loss. The performance marked the sixth time Bryant has hit at least half of its shots since the start of 2015 and the eighth time of the 2014-15 campaign but is just the second time the team has done so and suffered a defeat. The Bulldogs are 6-2 on the season when hitting the 50 percent mark, with their only other loss coming Feb. 2 against Pitt (51 percent).

BLOCKHEAD
For the second time this season, sophomore forward Dan Garvin posted an impressive five blocks Thursday night at Wagner in a 66-65 victory. The total tied his career high, which was first set Dec. 6 at Brown when Garvin became the first Bulldog to hit the five-block mark since Ben Altit did so against Robert Morris on Feb. 16, 2012. Garvin leads the Bulldogs with 36 stuffs on the season and ranks fourth in the league at 1.38 blocks per game.

OH DANNY BOY
Sophomore forward Dan Garvin has been stellar for the Bulldogs since the start of NEC play. The bigman picked up his fifth double-double of the season and second of the month Thursday night at Wagner with 16 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Bryant to a 66-65 victory. Since the start of 2015, Garvin is averaging 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game with five double-doubles, three 20-point games and a .549 shooting clip (90-164). He is also 42-of-56 from the line this calendar year while leading the team in blocks (23) and steals (19). The team's leader on the glass, Garvin pulled in 18 boards against FDU Jan. 10 to tie for the second most in the NEC this season and mark the highest total by a Bulldog since Alex Francis ('14) recorded 18 at CCSU on January 12, 2013. Garvin has led the Bulldogs in scoring three times and has paced his team on the glass 15 times this season and 24 times in his career.

BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Senior guard Dyami Starks enters Saturday's matchup ranked 13th in the national statistics for threes per game (3.15, 1st in NEC). The Duluth, Minn., native also ranks eighth in free throw percentage (.900, 1st in NEC), 10th in minutes per game (37:36, 1st in NEC), 39th in points per game (18.4, 2nd in NEC) and 76th in 3-point percentage (.347, 2nd in NEC). Sophomore forward Dan Garvin ranks 83rd in rebounds per game (7.7, 4th in NEC) and 51st in offensive boards per game (3.08, 3rd in NEC), while junior guard Shane McLaughlin is 41st in minutes per outing (36:00, 3rd in NEC) and 87th in assists per game (4.3, 3rd in NEC). As a team, the Bulldogs rank 28th in free throw percentage (.739, 1st in NEC), 60th in turnovers per game (11.6, 1st in NEC), 86th in 3-pointers per game (7.2, 3rd in NEC) and 58th in 3-point defense (.315, 2nd in NEC).

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs kick off the final week of regular-season play with a Thursday night rematch against Central Connecticut at the Chace Athletic Center (7:00 p.m.).