Bulldogs welcome Emerson Wednesday in 2015-16 home opener

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team welcomes Division III Emerson College to the Chace Athletic Center for its 2015-16 home opener on Wednesday night. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and the game can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.

THE SERIES
This is the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Lions.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Emerson comes into the year following an 11-14 season in 2014-15. The Lions, a member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), advanced to the quarterfinals of their league tournament last year, falling to MIT. Emerson is under the direction of second-year head coach and former NBA player Bill Curley.

The Lions are currently 1-1 on the year, opening the season against Emmanuel and Regis in the Coaches vs. Cancer Greater Boston Shootout. Emerson defeated Emmanuel, 76-64, and fell to Regis, 67-65. Michael Thorpe, the Lions' leading returning scorer, is averaging 21.5 points per game in the first two contests and classmate Austin Pickney has posted 17.0 per game. Emerson, however, has been outrebounded by nearly six boards per game and is averaging 20 turnovers per game this season. The Lions were picked to finish fifth in the eight-team NEWMAC.

BRYANT vs. DIVISION III
Bryant is 2-0 all-time against Division III opponents since the start of the 2008-09 season. The Bulldogs defeated Salve Regina, 82-55, during the 2013-14 campaign and topped Oberlin, 71-42, in 2010-11. Bryant has also played two exhibition games against Salve Regina over past four seasons.

BULLDOGS HOST 2K CLASSIC SUBREGIONAL THIS WEEKEND
Bryant will be part of the eight-team field participating in this year's 21st annual 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. The in-season tournament opened last weekend when the Bulldogs faced regional round host No. 5/4 Duke. Bryant will also face regional host Georgetown on Nov. 28 in Washington, D.C. The Black and Gold will play host to the tournament's Smithfield Subregional Round Nov. 20-21 at the Chace Athletic Center, which will pit Bryant, Prairie View A&M, Radford and Siena against each other in a pair of doubleheaders. Two more Regional Round hosts – national runner-up Wisconsin and NCAA tournament participant VCU – also join the 2K Classic field.

LAST TIME OUT
Bryant shot 50 percent from 3-point range and scored 75 points but it was not enough as No. 5/4 Duke shot 53 percent in a 113-75 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Bulldogs received a career-high 24 points from sophomore Hunter Ware and 16 from freshman Nisre Zouzoua. The two guards combined to shoot 10-for-18 from deep, helping Bryant finish the game 13-for-26 from 3-point land. Ware finished the game 9-of-15 from the field and 6-of-11 from distance. Junior Dan Garvin led Bryant on the glass with eight rebounds and also chipped in eight points. Freshman Marcel Pettway and sophomore Gus Riley each finished with eight points on the night.

BULLDOGS IN THE HOME OPENER
Bryant has won its last three home openers entering Wednesday night's lid-lifter. The Bulldogs are 3-4 in home openers at the Division I level and are 9-4 over the last 13 seasons. Bryant lost its first four home openers at the DI level before defeating New Hampshire, 76-64, in 2012-13. The Black and Gold then defeated Vermont in 2013-14 (87-64) and the Wildcats again in 2014-15 (72-63). Prior to their jump to DI, the Bulldogs had won six-straight home openers dating back to the 2002-03 season.

WARE, OH WARE
Sophomore guard Hunter Ware scored a career-high 24 points in last Saturday's opener at Duke. His previous career high was 20 points at Central Connecticut last January. Ware also set career-highs in field goals made (9), field goals attempted (15), 3-point field goals made (6), 3-point field goals attempted (11) and minutes played (37).

RARIFIED AIR
In addition to his career high in points, Ware became the first Bulldog other than Dyami Starks ('15) to hit six or more 3-pointers in a game since the 2012 season.

THE NAME IS ZOUZOUA
Freshman Nisre Zouzoua quickly made a name for himself last Saturday against the reigning national champs, scoring 16 points and grabbing four rebounds in his collegiate debut. He finished the game 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Zouzoua played 35 minutes and also added an assist, a steal and a block to his strong overall performance.

HISTORIC DEBUT FOR NISRE
Zouzoua's 16 points against Duke in his collegiate debut are the most by a freshman in Bryant's DI history since Alex Francis  ('14) scored 16 in his debut against Cleveland St. on Nov. 12, 2010. Zouzoua and Francis have the highest scoring outputs in a collegiate debut over the last 10 years at Bryant.

GARVIN PACES BULLDOGS ON THE GLASS IN OPENER
Junior bigman Dan Garvin pulled down a team-high eight rebounds against Duke last Saturday. The eight rebounds were the second-most for any player in the game and marked the 20th time has posted eight or more rebounds in a game in his career. Garvin accomplished the feat 14 times last season and now has eight more boards in each of his last five games dating back to last year.

START ME UP
Senior captain Shane McLaughlin made is 46th-consecutive start at the point for the Bulldogs last Saturday at Duke. McLaughlin took over the starting point guard position during his sophomore season on Jan. 18 at Fairleigh Dickinson. He started the final 14 games of the 2013-14 season and all 31 games last year for the Black and Gold.

McLAUGHLIN RACKING UP THE MILES
McLaughlin not only started at Duke but played 39 minutes against the Blue Devils. The Old Tappan, N.J., native was third in the NEC last year with an average of 36.68 minutes per game. Over his last 46 starts, McLaughlin has played 37 minutes or more in 23 of those contests. He has played the entire game six times in the span, including all 50 minutes in a double-overtime win last year against Sacred Heart in NEC Tournament.

PETTWAY SCORES EIGHT IN DEBUT
Another of Bryant's exciting freshmen, forward Marcel Pettway scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in 19 minutes against Duke. Pettway finished 4-of-8 from the field and added a block and a dunk.

THE RILEY FACTOR
After playing in just two of the final 16 games last year, sophomore forward Gus Riley came off the bench to score eight points and grab five rebounds at Duke. Riley went 3-of-6 from the floor, hitting a pair of triples in 14 minutes.

TAKING ON THE CHAMPS
Bryant continues its trend of scheduling challenging non-conference slates in 2015-16 and opened its season against a nationally ranked opponent for the fourth-straight year. And once again in 2015-16, the Bulldogs didn't face just any ranked team — they took on the reigning national champs for the second-consecutive season. Bryant opened with No. 5/4 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season after starting the 2014-15 season at defending champion UConn.

THE GRIND CONTINUES
Bryant's schedule doesn't get much easier after the opener against the Blue Devils, as the Bulldogs have opponents from nine different conferences lined up in 2015-16. The 31-game slate features 14 home contests and includes six games against 2015 NCAA tournament qualifiers (Duke, Georgetown, Providence College, Harvard, Robert Morris) and five against teams ranked or receiving votes in the preseason AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Polls (Duke, Georgetown, Providence, Michigan, Yale).

PULLING RANK
Saturday's game at Duke was the fifth time the Bulldogs have faced off against a nationally ranked opponent in its short Division I tenure. Bryant's first contest against a national ranking came in 2012-13, when it opened up on the road against preseason favorite Indiana. The Black and Gold challenged two ranked foes in 2013-14 in No. 15/14 Gonzaga and No. 3/2 Ohio State, and took on No. 17/15 UConn to start the 2014-15 campaign. Bryant is still looking for its first win over a ranked opponent.

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and season ticket packages are available for the 2015-16 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-TIXX.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will stay in Smithfield this weekend when they host the 2K Classic Smithfield Subregional Round on Nov. 20-21. Bryant will play Prairie View A&M Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and either Radford or Siena on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.