Bulldogs open up four-game homestand, host the Terriers on Thursday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team returns home from its three-game roadtrip to host four straight games. The Bulldogs take on St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Chace Athletic Center.

THE SERIES
Thursday's game marks the 12th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Terriers, with St. Francis Brooklyn holding a 7-4 series edge despite losing the most recent encounter. All four Bryant wins over St. Francis Brooklyn have come in Smithfield, as the Black and Gold own a 4-2 overall advantage in six contests at the Chace Athletic Center.
 
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
The reigning NEC regular season champs are led by three seniors and a junior. Seniors Tyreek Jewell and Chris Hooper pace the Terriers with 12.4 and 10.4 points per game, respectively, each corralling 5.4 boards per contest. Hooper heads the squad and ranks third in the NEC with a .590 clip from the floor (72-122). The third senior, Amdy Fall, nets just 5.2 points per outing but grabs a team-best 6.6 rebounds per performance, a stat that ranks ninth in the league. Junior guard Yunus Hopkinson adds 9.2 points a night and leads the squad in assists per game (2.94). St. Francis leads the league in blocks per game (4.9) and sits atop the conference in made threes per game (7.6), despite shooting just 30 percent from beyond the arc to rank seventh in the NEC.

CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
Eight current Bulldogs have played the Terriers in their careers, with five having done so more than once. In his only matchup with the Terriers last season, sophomore Bosko Kostur netted a career-high 23 points on a 8-for-16 effort from the floor, going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Junior forward Dan Garvin averages 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three career games against St. Francis. Senior captain Shane McLaughlin has faced the Terriers five times in his career, charting 4.4 points and 2.6 boards per contest, while fellow classmate Curtis Oakley Jr. has squared off with St. Francis three times. Junior Andrew Scocca and sophomore Hunter Ware have battled the Terriers twice before, averaging 2.0 and 6.5 points per game, respectively. As a unit, current Black and Gold players are shooting 38.3 percent from the floor (31-81) against St. Francis.      

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE  
The Bulldogs are 3-1 against Northeast Conference competition in 2015-16 with an overall record of 46-63 (.422) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. Prior to the 2012-13 campaign, Bryant held a 9-44 record against conference opponents as a DI program, but has recorded a 37-19 record (.660) over the last three seasons. The Black and Gold are 21-8 at home versus the NEC and 19-13 on the road since 2012-13. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 60-80 (.428). Bryant finished 2014-15 NEC play with a 12-6 league record, earning the No. 3 seed in the 2015 NEC Tournament, and won its first postseason game at the DI level by defeating Sacred Heart, 91-85, in the Quartefinals.

HISTORIC COMEBACK IN EMMITSBURG LAST TIME OUT
Facing a 20-point deficit early in the second half, the Bulldogs' chances of winning their first game in Emmitsburg (0-7 all-time) seemed slim. The team clawed their way back to force two overtimes, ultimately taking their first lead in the second OT to win the thriller over Mount St. Mary's, 82-79, on Saturday in Knott Arena. Senior guard Shane McLaughlin finished with a game-high 21 points with a career-best 10 boards to record his first double-double of the year, also dishing out eight helpers. Sophomore forward Gus Riley chipped in 12 points off the bench, frosh bigman Marcel Pettway netted 13 points with seven boards, and junior forward Dan Garvin scored 12 points. Freshman Nisre Zouzoua scored 15 points on a 6-for-12 effort from the floor to go along with five boards, and he gave Bryant its first lead of the game in the second OT. Junior Robinson led the Mountaineers with 20 points, while Taylor Danaher poured in 19 points going 9-of-9 from the field. Will Miller drained a game-best five triples to account for his 15 points and BK Ashe added 14 points. The Bulldogs shot 48.5 percent from the floor (33-68) and the Mountaineers finished at a .460 clip from floor (29-63).    

QUICK HITS
» 2:00 Minute Warning: The Bulldogs defeated Mount St. Mary's this past Saturday in double-overtime, despite trailing with two minutes to go, making it the first time since Dec. 30, 2013 that they have won a game when behind at the 2:00 mark. Bryant is just 8-69 since joining the Division I ranks when trailing with two minutes remaining in a contest.

» Aided by 80: The Bulldogs are 4-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points, and hold a 22-2 record at the DI level when posting 80 or more points.

» Double-Figure It Out: After not having five double-digit scorers in a game since Dec. 9, 2014 against Army, the Bulldogs have produced five double-figure scorers in three of the last four outings, including consecutive games against CCSU (Jan. 2) and FDU (Jan. 4). It marked the first time five Bryant performers netted double-figure points in consecutive games since Jan. 18 (at FDU) and Jan. 23 (vs. LIU Brooklyn) of the 2013-14 campaign.

BITING BACK
The double-digit halftime deficit that was erased in Saturday's double-overtime triumph over Mount St. Mary's marked the sixth time in Bryant's Division I history that it has battled back to win a game in which it trailed by double-digits at the intermission. The Bulldogs have once before overcome a double-figure halftime deficit against the Mountaineers, trailing, 36-24, at the break in the Jan. 29, 2011 meeting. The 14-point halftime margin makes Saturday's win the third largest comeback following the break for the Bulldogs in their six resurgences. The comeback victory is also just the second double OT win for Bryant in its Division I tenure.  

MODEL OF ASSISTANCY
Senior captain Shane McLaughlin nearly charted a triple-double by netting 21 points, grabbing a career-high 10 caroms, and dishing out eight assists in Saturday's 2OT win over Mount St. Mary's, making the guard the first player in Bryant's Division I history to record at least 20 points, 10 boards and five assists in a game. McLaughlin has now distributed eight dimes in three-straight games, and at least five assists in six-straight contests. The Old Tappan, N.J. native has only once before averaged eight assists over a three game stretch (Feb. 21 - Feb. 28 of last season), and he leads the Northeast Conference in assists per game (5.12).   

HALF TO HALVE IT
After shooting better than 50 percent in both halves from the floor and from three against the Knights on Jan. 4, the Bulldogs shot under 40 percent from both ranges in the first half and below 35 percent from the field in the second frame in the Jan. 7 loss at Wagner. While the Black and Gold struggled to find its shot, it held the Seahawks to less than 40 percent from both locations in both halves as well. Wagner won last week's matchup despite finishing at just a .349 clip from the floor and a .300 clip from distance, marking the first time the Bulldogs have held an opponent to under 35 percent from both inside and outside the 3-point arc since Feb. 28, 2015 against St. Francis Brooklyn.

FREE THROW WOAH!
It took the Black and Gold quite some time, but it finally made more than 20 free throws in the win over FDU on Jan. 4 (27), marking the first time the team had made more than 20 freebies since Feb. 28, 2015 against St. Francis Brooklyn (25). The 42 attempts from the line against the Knights are the most for the Bulldogs since they tried 44 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn on Jan. 25, 2014, and it is just the third time at the Division I level that they have shot the rock over 40 times from the charity stripe.  

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 16 of the season's first 17 contests. The Old Tappan, N.J., native was third in the NEC last year with an average of 36.68 minutes per game and currently sits first as a senior with an average of 38.00 minutes per outing (third nationally). As a starter (62 games), McLaughlin has played 37 minutes or more 34 times. He has played the entire game nine times in the span, including all 50 minutes in a double-overtime win against Sacred Heart in last year's NEC Tournament. McLaughlin logged 48 minutes on the floor in the double-overtime win over Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 9.

ON THE REBOUND
The Bulldogs have been outrebounded in 15 of their 17 games this season, losing the battle on the glass in each of the first 12 games to begin the year. This was the first time in the program's Division I history the team had opened a campaign on the short side on the glass in 12-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 12 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 314th in Division I in rebounding margin (-5.1).

FREE THROW WOES
The Bulldogs have struggled from the charity stripe throughout the 2015-16 season, finishing under 60 percent in eight of the team's 17 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 50 percent or less six times this season (.462 vs. Prairie View A&M, .462 at Yale, .500 at Michigan, .500 at Providence, .500 at Duke) and currently ranks seventh to last in Division I with a 60.5 percent clip on the year.

THE NAME IS ZOUZOUA
Freshman Nisre Zouzoua made a name for himself in the first two games of his collegiate career and has gotten back on track as of late. He scored 16 points in his debut at No. 5 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. And after six-consecutive single-digit outings, the Brockton, Mass., native has scored in double-digits in seven of the last nine games, averaging 12.0 points per contest since Dec. 5. In a 76-68 loss to Brown, Zouzoua drained four treys en route to a team-high 18 points. He then led the team in scoring for the third time in his young collegiate career with 17 points in a 77-55 loss to Army on Dec. 8 and followed that up with 11 points and a trio of 3-pointers at No. 15/18 Providence on Dec. 12.  After an eight-point output at Michigan on Dec. 23, the rookie scored 13 at Dartmouth on New Year's Eve, 11 vs. CCSU on Jan. 2, and 13 at FDU on Jan. 4. After just scoring two points in the Jan. 7 loss at Wagner, Zouzoua was second on the squad with 15 points in the double-overtime win over Mount St. Mary's two days later. He was on the court for a career-long 43 minutes, and gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the contest in the second OT, a lead they held all the eay to final whistle.

WARE, OH WARE
Sophomore guard Hunter Ware has emerged as an offensive weapon to be reckoned with in the 2015-16 season. The Georgia native averages a team-high 13.8 points per game, ranking him ninth in the NEC while shooting 42.9 percent from the field (82-191) and over 38 percent (34-88) 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. He reset his season-best with 26 points at Michigan while matching a career-best six triples.

LINEUP DANCING
Through 17 games in this 2015-16 campaign, the Bulldogs have unveiled eight variations of their starting lineup. Head coach Tim O'Shea has repeated a starting lineup just twice this year, but has found success in a consistent opening five of late. The cast of senior Shane McLaughlin, sophomore Hunter Ware, freshman Nisre Zouzoua, freshman Marcel Pettway and junior Dan Garvin have earned eight-consecutive starting nods from Dec. 8 - Jan. 9. The Bulldogs have not seen eight or more editions of a starting lineup since the 2011-12 season.

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game and partial 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 University Athletics Ticket Office at
401-319-TIXX.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference have partnered with Pack Network to create NEC Front Row, the home for all NEC men's and women's basketball broadcasts. NEC Front Row brings viewers an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 100 Bryant University home contests during the 2015-16 athletic seasons, including live, free-of-charge, high-definition broadcasts of all Bulldog home men's basketball games. Live event productions include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard, state-of-the-art graphics and brand-new DVR functionality. Visit necfrontrow.com for more information and a schedule of events.

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 play the second of their four-game homestand, hosting LIU Brooklyn on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Chace Athletic Center.