Bulldogs drop 113-75 decision to reigning national champ Duke Saturday in 2015-16 season opener

DURHAM, N.C. – Sophomore guard Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.) scored a career-high 24 points while freshman Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) added 16 in his collegiate debut, but the Bryant University men's basketball team fell to reigning national champion No. 5/4 Duke, 113-75, Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Bulldogs (0-1) were stellar from 3-point range, matching the 50 percent clip put up by the Blue Devils (2-0) behind a combined 10-of-18 clip from Ware and Zouzoua. A trio of Bryant forwards – junior Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.), sophomore Gus Riley (Nelson, New Zealand) and rookie Marcel Pettway (North Providence, R.I.) – added eight points apiece, while Garvin grabbed eight boards to pace the Black and Gold. Senior point guard Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) dished out six assists with five points on the day.

Duke sophomore guard Grayson Allen led the game with 28 points off 8-for-18 shooting and a 9-for-10 mark from the charity stripe, while rookie starter Brandon Ingram added 21 points off a 7-of-11 clip and 4-for-6 mark from beyond the arc. Amile Jefferson pulled in the only double-double of the night with 11 points and a game-high 11 boards, while Matt Jones (19 points) and Luke Kennard (11) also finished in double figures.

The Bulldogs found themselves in foul trouble early and often in Saturday's season opener, sending the Blue Devils to the line 20 times in the first half and seeing them convert 17 free throws. Duke would finish the day 22-of-29 from the stripe while shooting 53.4 percent (39-73) from the floor.

Bryant was just 6-of-12 from the line in the contest but still shot an impressive 48.3 percent (28-58) from the field and 50 percent (13-26) from long range. The Bulldogs were outmanned on the glass, 43-27.

Bryant would keep the opening minutes tight, limiting Duke to just a single basket through the first three minutes before evening the score at 5-5 after a Zouzoua steal turned into a layup for Garvin at the 15:30 mark.

The Blue Devils opened up a 17-9 lead on the first of five Jones trifectas in the first half alone, and while Zouzoua would close the gap to five on a deep 3-pointer of his own, Duke would quickly pull away from there.

Five Bulldog fouls in a less than a three-minute span would give the hosts seven points from the line and a 31-19 lead with eight minutes to play in the opening stanza following a triple from Ware on the left side.

A Riley three dropped in at the 6:55 mark to close the deficit to 34-22, but junior forward Andrew Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) would join Garvin on the bench with a third foul of his own at the five-minute mark to put Ingram on the line for two more freebies.

Duke would grow its margin to 20 points, 49-29, with two Allen free throws with 2:06 left on the first-half clock, and Jones would send the home side into the final 90 seconds with his fourth trey, 52-29. Jones capped off his 5-for-6 start from 3-point land with 38 ticks remaining, and Allen would lay the ball in with five seconds left for the 59-32 halftime advantage.

Foul trouble would plague the Bulldogs once again from the very start of the second half, with the Black and Gold taking five whistles in the opening 2:30. By midway through the frame, Bryant would see four players with a quartet of fouls, including both starting bigmen (Scocca and Garvin) and two point guard options in McLaughlin and Zouzoua.

Duke would lead, 87-54, by that point following another triple from Ware, and Zouzoua would follow up with his own long distance shot to bring Duke's lead back to 30. But the margin wouldn't get smaller despite strong perimeter shooting, as the Blue Devils kept their foot on the gas en route to the 113-75 final.

Ware and Zouzoua went 4-for-6 and 3-for-5 from 3-point land, respectively, in the second half to drive the Bulldog offense, as the young duo combined for more than half of the team's total points (40) on the contest. Zouzoua and Pettway both came away with their first-career blocks, while the former had the only steal of the game for the Black and Gold.

Bryant next returns to Smithfield for its own home opener, as the Bulldogs host Emerson College at the Chace Athletic Center Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.