Zouzoua, Ware lead Bulldogs to 82-69 win over Emerson in 2015-16 home opener

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman guard Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) scored a career-high 23 points, shooting 72.7 percent from the field (8-for-11) and going 4-for-7 from long distance to lead the Bryant University men's basketball team to an 82-69 win over Emerson College in Wednesday's 2015-16 home opener at the Chace Athletic Center.

Sophomore guard Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.) matched Zouzoua's scoring output, registering his second-straight 20-point outing and third such performance of his young career. Ware hit 9-of-15 from the floor with a trio of trifectas, also pulling in five rebounds.

As a team, the Bulldogs (1-1) spread around the scoring, seeing seven players get on the board and three finish in double figures, with senior point guard Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) chipping in 10 points in the win. Junior bigman Andrew Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) pulled down a side-high seven rebounds and dished out four assists with a pair of blocks.

Michael Sheng led the Lions (1-2) with 17 points off 6-of-10 shooting and a 5-for-7 mark from downtown, while John Geary added 13 more and Will Lantier wrapped up his day with 10 points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field. Geoffrey Gray (4 points) was the game's top rebounder with eight boards, also adding a contest-best six assists.

Wednesday's home opener stayed within one score through the first six minutes of the opening half, but it wouldn't be long before back-to-back treys from Zach Chionuma (Jamesville, N.Y.) (8 points) put the Bulldogs up by double, 18-9. The senior guard would make it eight-straight points for a 20-9 advantage at the midway point of the half.

Zouzoua grabbed a rebound and dashed down the court for the first dunk of the evening, putting the hosts out front, 24-11, with 9:23 to play. But Emerson would rip off a five-minute, 19-5 run starting less than a minute later, going 6-for-8 from the field and an impressive 5-for-5 from beyond the arc to pull within a single point, 31-30, and force a Bulldog timeout. Sheng along would drain a trio of triples during the stretch, bleeding the clock down inside to the final four minutes.

Out of the break, though, the Bulldogs would pick up the pace, scoring seven straight for an eight-point lead entering the final 60 seconds of the stanza. Geary would hit the final layup of the half for the Lions, sending the teams to the locker room with a 40-35 margin favoring the Black and Gold.

The Bulldogs started the second on a 12-0 run to up the lead to 52-38 with 16:32 on the clock. Ware fed Zouzoua a lofted pass for the rookie's second dunk of the night at the 11-minute mark for the 60-42 advantage, and Bryant would hold a margin in the mid-teens until the final six minutes, when back-to-back Geary layups closed the gap to 10 points, 66-56.

But the Lions wouldn't get any closer, as triples from Ware and Zouzoua send the home side into the last five minutes of the game with a 74-60 advantage, and the Bulldogs held on for the 82-69 final.

As a team, the hosts shots 44.1 percent from the field (30-68) while going 11-for-31 from 3-point land. Bryant struggled at the line, converting only 11 of its 16 opportunities, and was outrebounded by Emerson, 44-38. The Lions shot 40.3 percent from the floor (25-62) with a 10-of-23 clip from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs return to the Chace Athletic Center court Friday and Saturday, when they play host to the 2K Classic Smithfield Subregional. Bryant will host Prairie View A&M Friday at 7 p.m. in first-round action following a Siena/Radford neutral matchup at 4 p.m.