Bulldogs lead by as many as 18, hold off Knights late in 85-80 win on Monday night

HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Bryant University men's basketball team held a 15-point halftime edge, and led by as many as 18 in the second half, but were forced to fend off Fairleigh Dickinson towards the end, holding onto a 85-80 victory on Monday night in Stratis Arena.

Five Bulldogs (5-10, 2-0 NEC) scored in double-figures for a second straight night. Freshman forward Marcel Pettway (North Providence, R.I.) tallied his third double-double of the season, tying a career-high of 26 points for a second-straight game on a 9-for-10 performance from the floor to go along with a contest-best 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.) netted 19 points - 17 of which came in the first half - shooting 62 percent from the floor and 75 percent from deep (3-4) to pair with a career-best seven caroms.

Senior captain Curtis Oakley Jr. (South Euclid, Ohio) scored a season-best 14 points with five rebounds, while fellow fourth-year captain Shane McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) added 10 points with a game-high eight assists and five boards, and freshman Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) poured in 13 points and five snares as well.

Darian Anderson led the Knights (5-8, 1-1 NEC) with 23 points and five assists, while Earl Potts Jr. and Stephan Jiggetts dropped 18 and 17 points, respectively. FDU shot just 40 percent from the floor (29-71) and 25 percent from long range. The Black and Gold shot 50 percent in both halves for a second-straight outing, concluding the evening shooting 58 percent from the floor (25-43) and 57 percent (8-14) from beyond the arc.  

With the game tied, 21-21, with 7:38 to play in the opening half, a Pettway layin at the 7:16 mark sparked a 7-0 Bulldog run over a two minute stretch. The Knights would get no closer than five points for the remainder of the half, as the Bulldogs outscored FDU, 24-9, to close out the stanza and take a 45-30 halftime advantage.  

A Garvin free throw brought the Bulldog lead to 17, 49-32, at the 18:45 mark of the second frame, tying their largest advantage of the game to that point. The Knights got right back into the contest with a 16-4 run over a 4:22 span, capped off by a Marques Townes trey, to bring them within five points, 53-48, at the 14:23 mark.

Bryant responded to the home team's comeback with a 7-0 run over the ensuing two minutes. After a pair of Zouzoua free throws, the Bulldogs recaptured a double-digit edge thanks to a McLaughlin corner triple in front of the Bryant bench off of a handoff from Pettway, who used his broad frame to free space for the senior captain.

Pettway was rewarded on the following Bryant possession with a nice bounce pass inside from fellow classmate Zouzoua, leading to a two-handed slam for the big fella, widening the gap to 60-48 at the 12:32 mark.

The margin would remain steady in double-digits for the next nine minutes of gameplay, before a Anderson jumper made it, 81-72, with 1:23 to play in the second. Jiggetts drained eight points in the final 27 seconds to keep things close, but the Bulldogs converted enough of their attempts from the charity stripe down the stretch to secure their third straight win, and second conference victory of the season.   

Both teams started off very poorly in the first 4:20 of action, shooting a combined 18.4 percent (2-11) from the floor, as the game was tied, 3-3, after the first media timeout. The Knights were the beneficiaries of the poor shooting early on, as they held a 8-4 edge with 14:30 to go in the opening frame.

The teams heated up once out of the break, which did not bode well for the hosts. A Ware trifecta at the 13:51 mark made it, 9-8, and stripped the Knights of what turned out to be their final lead of the game. FDU would get no closer to regaining an advantage than the, 21-21, standstill at the 7:38 mark after a Mike Holloway layup. Pettway and Ware were the catalysts to the Bulldogs separating themselves from that point, as the two combined for 35 of the team's 45 first-half points.  

Next up for the Black and Gold is a trip to Wagner College for a 7:00 p.m. tip on Thursday. The NEC contest in Staten Island can be seen live on CBS Sports Network.