Bulldogs begin final week in Smithfield, host the Pioneers on Thursday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team begins its final week of the regular season in Smithfield, first taking on Sacred Heart on Thursday at 7:00 p.m in the Coaches vs. Cancer/Relay For Life game.

THE SERIES
Having battled one another 32 times, the Bulldogs and Pioneers will continue their rich history in the 33rd matchup of the series. Sacred Heart holds a 19-13 edge over Bryant, 11-5 at the Division I level. The Bulldogs lead SHU 10-9 in the all-time series in Smithfield, though they trail 5-3 since joining the Division I ranks. The last two contests between the two sides were split and decided by a combined six points, and two of the last three games have gone into overtime.      

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sitting just one game behind the four teams tied for first in the NEC, Sacred Heart heads to Smithfield led by the league's top scorer in sophomore Cane Broome. Along with heading the Pioneers in points per game (22.0) to rank 11th nationally, Broome also leads the squad in assists per game and steals per contest. The NEC's third highest scoring offense is not just a one man show, as three other Pioneers score in double-figures. Freshman Quincy McKnight and seniors Jordan Allen and Tevin Falzon post 11.8, 10.7 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. McKnight leads all rookie scorers in the conference, Allen leads the team in field goal percentage (53.8) and Falzon paces the Pioneers on the glass with 7.6 caroms per game. Sacred Heart sits second in the league in field goal percentage (43.9) and third in rebounds per game (36.6). 

TOP DAWGS VS. SACRED HEART
Of the 11 current Bulldogs that have faced the Pioneers in their careers, only two average double-figure scoring. Junior forward Dan Garvin netted a career high of 25 points in the Jan. 30 matchup at Sacred Heart, and he pulled down a 14 boards as well. Garvin is averaging 15.2 points and 10.6 boards in five career games against the Pioneers, but he has tallied 19.8 points and 13.1 caroms over the last four games versus SHU. Sophomore Bosko Kostur has averaged 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in his three career encounters with the Pioneers. Sophomore guard Hunter Ware scores just 5.8 points per contest in his four matchups with Sacred Heart. After playing just 10 minutes per game against the Pioneers in his freshman campaign with a 1.3 points per effort clip, Ware picked up his first start versus SHU and poured in 19 points in 30 minutes on the floor on Jan. 30. Senior captain Shane McLaughlin scored just nine points and dished out two dimes in the Jan. 30 matchup, but he averaged 12.3 points, over five assists and five boards in the three games against the Pioneers last season.   
 
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE  
The Bulldogs are 4-10 against Northeast Conference competition in 2015-16 with an overall record of 47-72 (.394) 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, but has recorded a 38-28 record (.575) over the last three seasons. The Black and Gold are 22-13 at home versus the NEC and 19-17 on the road since 2012-13. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 61-89 (.406).

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs trailed by just one point with 1:38 remaining in the first half on Saturday, but trailed by seven at halftime and got no closer than eight in the second frame, as Wagner soared to a 79-55 win at the Chace Athletic Center. Sophomore guard Hunter Ware scored 21 points on a 4-for-5 performance from long range. Freshman wing Nisre Zouzoua netted 13 points, nine of which came at the free throw line. Sophomore Bosko Kostur tallied just eight points, but he facilitated a team-high three baskets to go along with two boards and a block off the bench. Ramone Saunders paced the Seahawks with 24 points on seven made 3-pointers. Mike Aaman scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Aaren Edmead added 11 points in the win. The Bulldogs shot 37 percent from the floor (17-46) and 31 percent from distance (5-16), as Wagner hit 49 percent of its shots from the field (28-57) and 48 percent from beyond the arc (12-25).
 
QUICK HITS
» You Can Find Me In the 500 Club: Sophomore guard Hunter Ware scored his 500th career point at the 9:10 mark of the Feb. 11 game against the Knights, making him the third fasted Bulldog (56 games) to accumulate 500 career points in the program's Division I history. Only Alex Francis ('14) and Dyami Starks ('15) accomplished the feat in fewer contests, doing so in 34 and 46 games, respectively.

» Deceptive Percentages: The Bulldogs lost the Feb. 4 contest to Red Flash, despite holding SFU to a mere 31 percent from the floor and 19 percent from long range. It was the lowest percentage from 3-point land that Bryant had allowed all season and it was the first time the program had restricted an opponent from exceeding 31 and 19 percent from the floor and beyond the arc, respectively, in a game since joining the Division I ranks.

» Dan the Man: Junior forward Dan Garvin netted a career-high 25 points and corralled 14 boards for his fourth double-double of the season and the 13th of his career in the Bulldogs' loss at Sacred Heart on Jan. 30. It makes Garvin just the second player in Bryant's DI tenure to record at least 25 points and 14 rebounds in a game, and just the third Bulldog to chart those numbers since the 2001-2002 campaign.
 
» Roller Coaster: After opening conference play winning four of the first five games, the Bulldogs have dropped the last nine NEC matchups. The Black and Gold have not been defeated in nine or more league contests in a row since the 2011-2012 season.

AND THESE FRESHMEN AIN'T NEVER DID THIS BEFORE, NO
The Bulldogs have a bright future in rookie bigman Marcel Pettway and first-year guard Nisre Zouzoua, but are well positioned in the present as well. The freshmen are averaging 10.8 and 11.5 points per game, respectively, to rank them fourth and second among NEC rookies. The forward-guard combo amasses 22.3 points per effort, and rank inside the top 20 among all newcomer scoring duos at the Division I level.  

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 the 2OT win over Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 9, 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 at least five assists in 12 of the last 16 contests. The Old Tappan, N.J. native leads the Northeast Conference in assists per game with 5.11 and 5.79 helpers in conference play.  

ON THE REBOUND
The Bulldogs have been outrebounded in 23 of their 27 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 312th in rebounding margin (-4.9) among all DI teams.

LINEUP DANCING
Through 27 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. The cast of senior Shane McLaughlin, sophomore Hunter Ware, freshman Nisre Zouzoua, freshman Marcel Pettway and junior Dan Garvin have earned 17-consecutive starting nods from Dec. 8 - Feb. 13. The Bulldogs have not seen eight or more editions of a starting lineup since the 2011-12 season.

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.

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.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs wrap up their home slate of games by welcoming in Mount St. Mary's on Saturday. The rematch of the Jan. 9 2OT thriller that ended in a Bryant victory is set to tip off at 4:00 p.m.