Bulldogs take on Harvard Wednesday night on ESPN3

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team hits the highways for the first of four-straight road games Wednesday night and will take on Harvard at Lavietes Pavilion at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday's game can be seen live on ESPN3 and heard on WOON 1240AM or online at bryantbulldogs.com.

THE SERIES
The Bulldogs and the Crimson have faced off on four previous occasions, with Harvard winning all four contests. The Crimson earned a 77-51 home win in the series debut back in November of 2009 and edged out Bryant in Smithfield, 66-57, in the teams' last meeting on Jan. 20, 2015. Last time at Lavietes Pavilion, Harvard topped the Black and Gold, 86-68 (Nov. 20, 2013).

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON
Despite just a 1-3 record to open the season, Harvard has held all four of its opponents under 40 percent shooting and has played particularly strong perimeter defense, allowing challengers success just 28.2 percent of the time from downtown. Zena Edosomwan leads the way, averaging a double-double on the year with 14.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Rookies Corey Johnson (10.8) and Tommy McCarthy (10.0) also average double-figure scoring, having earned starts in their first four career games. As a unit, Harvard scores just 60.5 points each time out but has proven hard to top at Lavietes Pavilion, boasting a 62-6 record there since the 2010-11 campaign.

CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. HARVARD
Eight current Bulldogs have seen action against the Crimson in their careers, but only three players — junior forward Dan Garvin and senior guards Shane McLaughlin and Curtis Oakley Jr. — have done so more than once. Garvin leads the way, averaging 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over a pair of contests while going 7-for-13 from the floor (.538). Sophomore Bosko Kostur has found success in limited action, going 2-for-3 with five points in 13 minutes against the Crimson in 2013-14 while Oakley averages 4.5 points per game in two appearances, but no other Bulldog has scored more than five points against Harvard. Current Bulldogs are shooting .378 (14-37) from the field against Wednesday's foe, connecting on just 2-of-9 attempts (.222) from 3-point range.

BRYANT vs. THE IVY LEAGUE
Wednesday's matchup is the first of four contests against members of the Ivy League in 2015-16, including three in the month of December. Bryant is 6-21 against Ivy League schools in its short Division I history, having matched up against Columbia (0-3), Brown (2-5), Cornell (0-2), Harvard (0-4), Yale (2-5) and Dartmouth (2-2) over the last seven seasons. In the all-time history of the program, the Bulldogs are just 6-28 against Ivy League opponents, most frequently matching up against intrastate rival Brown (2-12).

LAST TIME OUT
Bryant dropped a 78-59 decision to Siena Saturday night in the 2K Classic Smithfield Subregional Championship Game after shooting a season-low 37.3 percent and allowing the Saints a 62 percent clip from the floor. Sophomore guard Hunter Ware led the way for the Black and Gold with 17 points (2 steals) off 7-of-15 shooting, while classmate Bosko Kostur added 12 points and junior Dan Garvin pitched in 11 with a game-best nine rebounds. All-Tournament Team selection Brett Bisping paced Siena and the game with 24 points (7 rebounds), while Nico Clareth (16) and Tournament MVP Marquis Wright (14) also finished in double figures.

DEFENSIVE DIP
Siena shot a blazing 62 percent from the field, hitting 31 of its 50 attempts Saturday at the Chace Athletic Center. The last time the Bulldogs allowed an opponent to hit the 60th percentile was all the way back on Jan. 24, 2013, when Sacred Heart went 33-of-55 from the floor (.600). The last time an opponent shot better than 60 percent was during in the 2011-12 season (Feb. 8), when the Pioneers shot 60.4 percent (29-48) in 79-77 win in Fairfield, Conn.

STEAL CITY
The Bulldogs nabbed 10 steals despite the 78-59 loss to Siena Saturday, marking the first time since Dec. 14, 2013 the team has finished a game with double-digit thefts (10 vs. Navy).

IN THE MARGINS
Bryant has yet to play a game in which the final margin is within 10 points. The team's two losses came by 38 (Duke) and 19 (Siena) points, while its two wins (Emerson, Prairie View A&M) each came by 13.

ON THE REBOUND
The Bulldogs have yet to outrebound an opponent in 2015-16, posting a -6.0 rebounding margin on the young season. The last time Bryant opened a campaign on the short side on the glass in four-straight games was back in 2009-10, when the team was outrebounded by Providence College, Mercer, Bucknell and Harvard to kick off the year.

FREE THROW WOES
The Bulldogs have struggled from the charity stripe all season long, finishing under 60 percent in three of the team's four contests this season. Bryant's worst performance of the year came Friday night against Prairie View A&M, when the Black and Gold went just 6-for-13 from the line (.462), converting less than 50 percent of their free throw attempts for the first time since a 4-of-11 (.364) performance against Mount St. Mary's back on Jan. 14, 2012. The Bulldogs are just 33-for-59 (.559) from the stripe on the season.

McLAUGHLIN SETS NEW DIVISION I ASSISTS MARK
Senior starting point guard Shane McLaughlin was a stellar distributor Friday evening in a win over the Panthers in 2K Classic Smithfield Subregional action, dishing out a career-high 14 assists to set a new program Division I record for assists in a game. The previous record was 13, set by current assistant coach Frankie Dobbs ('13) back on Feb. 7, 2013. The all-time program mark is 21, set by Ned Bohan ('75) in 1974. McLaughlin finished the weekend set with 18 assists and 12 points to earn 2K Classic Smithfield Subregional All-Tournament Team honors.

WARE, OH WARE
Sophomore guard Hunter Ware has emerged as an offensive weapon to be reckoned with early in the 2015-16 season. The Georgia native averages a team-high 18.5 points per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field (28-55) and nearly 43 percent (12-28) from long range, good for second and third in the NEC, respectively. Ware opened the season with two of the best offensive performances of his career, logging back-to-back 20-point outings that included a career-high 24 points in the Nov. 14 season opener at No. 5/4 Duke.

THE RILEY FACTOR
After coming off the bench to score eight points and pull in five rebounds at No. 5/4 Duke in the season opener, sophomore forward Gus Riley has started in each of the last three contests while scoring a career-high 18 points off 8-of-12 shooting in Bryant's win over Prairie View A&M Nov. 20.

START ME UP
Senior captain Shane McLaughlin made is 49th-consecutive start at the point for the Bulldogs on Saturday against Siena. 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. He is just two games away from his 100th appearance donning the Black and Gold.

BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the eighth season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs wrap up play in the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project with their final regional round game, traveling to Washington, D.C., to take on Georgetown Saturday, Nov. 28. The 12:00 p.m. tip can be seen live on Fox Sports 2.