Bulldogs set to take on Friars Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in the capital city

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team will play away from Smithfield but remain in Rhode Island as it heads to the capital city to take on No. 15/18 Providence College Saturday at 12:00 p.m. The game can be seen live on Fox Sports 1 and heard on WOON 1240 AM and bryantbulldogs.com.

THE SERIES
Saturday's game marks the sixth overall meeting and the first time since the 2012-13 campaign in which the Bulldogs and the Friars have squared off. Providence College holds the 5-0 edge over Bryant, winning the most recent contest, 81-49, in the capital city back on Nov. 12, 2012.
 
SCOUTING THE FRIARS
No. 15/18 Providence is led by one of the nation's top all-around guards in junior Kris Dunn, who averages 16.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, the latter of which ranks first in the Big East and 12th in the nation. Dunn is one of five players to record a triple-double this year and one of three players, along with Bryant senior Shane McLaughlin, to have 14 or more assists in a game. The Friars' strong resume, which includes a win over then-No. 11 Arizona, has been amplified by the play of sophomore forwards Ben Bentil, who leads the team in points (17.7) and rebounds (7.2), and Rodney Bullock, who tallies 14.0 points and 6.7 boards per contest. The Friars shoot .458 from the floor and .320 from long range and put up just shy of 75 points per outing.

CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. PROVIDENCE
Senior captains Shane McLaughlin and Curtis Oakley Jr., along with junior forward Andrew Scocca, are the only current Bulldogs who have faced Providence. As freshmen, the trio combined to play just 29 minutes, with McLaughlin totaling 17 in the 81-49 loss. None of the three scored in the game, though Scocca grabbed a pair of rebounds and McLaughlin hauled in a board while recording two steals and dishing out two assists.
 
BRYANT vs. THE BIG EAST
The Bulldogs look for their first-ever win over a Big East program in 11 tries Saturday afternoon, having gone 0-10 against the conference all-time (excluding exhibition play) and 0-9 against the league at the Division I level. The Bulldogs have now battled six different Big East schools in official competition, having played Providence (0-5), UConn (0-1), St. John's (0-1), Rutgers (0-1) and Notre Dame (0-1), with five more exhibitions coming against Big East schools during Bryant's Division II tenure (0-4 vs. UConn, 0-1 vs. Syracuse). The Bulldogs' most recent affair with a Big East program came earlier this year in the team's 77-47 loss at Georgetown on Nov. 28.

BRYANT-PC CONNECTIONS
There are several ties between Bryant University and Providence College, and its not just the area code. Seven current Bulldog coaches and two more athletic department employees either attended or worked at Providence College, while two current Friar coaches formerly served on Bryant sidelines.

A 2002 PC graduate, current Friar Director of Basketball Operations Kevin Kurbec spent three seasons with the Bulldog men's basketball program from 2008-11 before returning to Providence for the 2011-12 season. Second-year women's track coach Steph Reilly served seven years at the helm of the Bulldog cross country and track & field programs before returning to her alma mater in January 2015.

On the Bryant side, head women's basketball coach Mary Burke, now in her 25th season, and associate head coach Britt King were both standouts on the court for the Friar women's basketball team from 1984-88 and 1982-86, respectively, and were both inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame in 2008. Burke accumulated 1,672 career points and graduated as the program's fourth-leading scorer and seventh-leading rebounder (740) of all time. King closed her Friar career as the program's all-time leading rebounder (1,205) and is one of just three players to record 1,000 career points and rebounds.

In the same Hall of Fame class was Bryant head men's soccer coach Seamus Purcell, a 1989 graduate and two-time All-American for the Friars on the pitch. Both head men's tennis coach Ron Gendron and head women's tennis coach Barbara Cilli are PC graduates, tennis standouts and former Friar coaches. Gendron graduated in 1990 and later served as both an assistant and head coach at his alma mater, while Cilli served as an assistant for one season on the PC courts. Theresa Garlacy, currently in her 20th season as the Bulldogs' head volleyball coach, is also a 1988 graduate of Providence, while assistant softball coach Aubrey Mable served as a graduate assistant for the Friars last season before returning to her alma mater this fall.

Within the Bryant administration, budget manager Nicole Lambert is a 1989 Providence College grad, while Assistant Athletics Director Mike MacDonald received both his undergraduate degree (2008) and his masters degree (2010) at PC, also serving as the graduate assistant for compliance in the Friar Athletic Department prior to joining the Bulldogs.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs were able to shake off Army's 19-1 opening-frame run, cutting the deficit to nine at the half, but ultimately could not overcome 14 Black Knight threes en route to a 77-55 loss Tuesday night at home. Forwards Dan Garvin and Marcel Pettway each recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman guard Nisre Zouzoua led the Bulldogs in scoring for a second-straight game with 17 points (5-13). As a unit, Bryant shot 34.5 percent from the field and made just one three on the night. Army was steered by a 26-point effort from Tanner Plomb, while Kyle Wilson tallied 14 points. Three Cadets scored eight points, including Dylan Cox, who finished with a game-best seven assists. The Black Knights shot 47 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from deep (14-38).

PULLING RANK
The Bulldogs take on their second nationally ranked opponent of the season Saturday in No. 15/18 Providence College after opening the year at then-No. 5/4 Duke Nov. 14. The Friars will be the highest-ranked team that Bryant has faced this late in a season since playing at No. 3/2 Ohio State on Dec. 11, 2013, and Saturday's contest marks the sixth time the Bulldogs have faced off against a nationally ranked foe 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.

POST PRESENCE
Tuesday's double-doubles from Dan Garvin and Marcel Pettway (13p, 10r each) were the second of the season for the two bigmen. It marked the first time two Bulldogs charted double-doubles in the same contest since Alex Francis ('14) and Joe O'Shea ('15) completed the feat at LIU Brooklyn on March 14, 2014. This achievement has happened seven times in Bryant's Division I history.  

MORE THREES PLEASE
On the same day that Army jacked up 38 triples against Bryant (14 makes), the Bulldogs hoisted just eight shots from beyond the arc, going 1-for-8 on the evening. The numbers tied for both the fewest makes and fewest attempts in the team's Division I history. The Black and Gold hit just one triple in back-to-back games in February 2010 (1-12 at CCSU, 1-22 vs. SFU) and have only twice launched single-digit 3-point attempts prior to Tuesday's game (2-for-8 at Mount St. Mary's, Feb. 14, 2013; 3-for-9 at Yale, Dec. 9, 2009).

LINEUP DANCING
Just 10 games into the 2015-16 campaign, the Bulldogs have unveiled eight variations of their starting lineup, something that has not happened since the 2011-12 season. The only cast of five to be on the floor for the opening tip more than once has been senior Shane McLaughlin, sophomore Hunter Ware, freshman Nisre Zouzoua, sophomore Gus Riley and junior Dan Garvin — a lineup that played together in three-straight games from Nov. 20-25.  

THAT 70s SHOW
The Bulldogs have conceded 70 or more points in all eight of their losses this season but have held opponents to less than 70 points in their only two wins. Last season, Bryant finished 4-9 when allowing more than 70 points, posting a 12-6 record when holding teams below the 70-point threshold. Conversely, the Black and Gold finished last season 11-2 when totalling 70+ points and have concluded with north of 70 points in both wins this year.

ON THE REBOUND
The Bulldogs have yet to outrebound an opponent in 2015-16, posting a -7.9 rebounding margin on the young season. This is the first time in the program's Division I history the team has opened a campaign on the short side on the glass in 10-straight outings. The last time the Bulldogs were outboarded in more than seven-straight games at any point in a season was back in 2011-12, when the team lost the battle on the boards in nine-consecutive games from Nov. 27-Jan. 5. To find the last time the squad was outrebounded in 10 or more straight contests, you must look all the way back to the 2009-10 season, when the Bulldogs lost the board battle in 20 in a row from Dec. 3-Feb. 13. Bryant currently ranks 330th in Division I in rebounding margin (-7.9) and 295th in rebounds per game (33.80).

IN THE MARGINS
Bryant has played just two games in which the final margin has been within 10 points, coming at UNH (75-67 L) and at home against Brown (78-68 L). The Bulldogs' six remaining defeats have come by 39 (Yale), 38 (Duke), 35 (Harvard), 30 (Georgetown), 22 (Army) and 19 (Siena), while its two wins (Emerson, Prairie View A&M) each came by 13 points.

DOUBLE-DIGIT TROUBLE
After failing to produce a double-digit scorer against Yale for the first time since Feb. 11, 2010, the Bulldogs bounced back with four double-digit performers in last Saturday's loss to Brown. The last time four Black and Gold players scored in double figures in a losing effort was Feb. 21, 2015 against Robert Morris. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, this unfortunate occurrence has happened to the Bulldogs nine times.

THRIFTY FIFTY
Bryant has scored less than 50 points in three of its last six games (45 at Harvard, 47 at Georgetown, 40 at Yale), marking the second-straight season it has failed to reach the 50-point mark in at least three games. The last time the Bulldogs scored less than 50 in three losing efforts came in 2009-10, when it happened in 12 different outings. Bryant currently averages just 60.9 points per game, ranking in the bottom 15 in scoring offense in all of Division I (332 of 346).

FREE THROW WOES
The Bulldogs have struggled from the charity stripe throughout the start of the young season, finishing under 60 percent in five of the team's 10 contests. Bryant's worst performance of the year came Nov. 28 against Georgetown, when the Black and Gold went just 5-for-15 from the line (.333), converting less than 40 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. Bryant has finished at less than 50 percent three times this season (.462 vs. Prairie View A&M, .462 at Yale) and currently ranks fourth to last in Division I with a 59 percent clip on the year.

IT'S NOT HOW YOU FINISH...
Sometimes, it's how you start. Bryant has gotten off to some slow starts to begin the season, trailing at the half in eight of its 10 contests. The Bulldogs are 0-8 when trailing at the intermission, currently being outscored, 323-217, in the opening frame. Bryant is 2-0 when leading at the half, outscoring the opposition, 83-55, in the opening stanza in those contests. The Bulldogs went 10-4 last season when leading at the break.

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 13.7 points per game, ranking him 10th in the NEC, while shooting better than 42 percent from the field (49-116) and over 30 percent (15-49) from long range. 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.

HIGH MILEAGE FOR McLAUGHLIN
Senior point guard Shane McLaughlin is once again proving to be a workhorse for the Bulldogs on the court, playing 34 minutes or more in nine of the seasons first 10 contests. The Old Tappan, N.J., native was third in the NEC last year with an average of 36.68 minutes per game and sits second as a senior with a current average of 36.30 minutes per outing (29th nationally). Over his last 55 starts, McLaughlin has played 37 minutes or more 27 times. He has played the entire game seven times in the span, including all 50 minutes in a double-overtime win against Sacred Heart in last year's NEC Tournament.

THE NAME IS ZOUZOUA
Freshman Nisre Zouzoua made a name for himself in the first two games of his collegiate career. He scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds in his debut at Duke, only to follow that up with a career-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Emerson. Zouzoua started 0-for-2 against the Lions but then made his next eight shots from the field on his way to his career day. After six-consecutive single-digit outings, the Brockton, Mass., native erupted in the second half of Saturday's 76-68 loss to Brown, draining four treys en route to a team-high 18 points. He led the team in scoring for a third time over his young collegiate career with 17 points in Tuesday's 77-55 loss to Army.  

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
Bryant will recharge with an 10-day break before it returns to the court Dec. 23 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wolverines will host the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. in a game that can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.