Bulldogs host Mountaineers on senior day, Saturday at 4 p.m.

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team concludes its home slate of games on Saturday, taking on Mount St. Mary's at 4:00 p.m.

THE SERIES
Saturday afternoon's contest marks the 16th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Mountaineers, with this weekend's visitors holding a 10-5 series edge. Bryant picked up its first win over the Mount in Emmitsburg on Jan. 9 in a double-overtime thriller. The Bulldogs lead MSM 4-3 in Smithfield, 4-2 at the Division I level.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
The Mount enter Saturday's game tied for second in the NEC with three games to play. The Mountaineers are led by their backcourt of junior BK Ashe and sophomore Junior Robinson. Ashe nets 14.5 points per game and Robinson scores 12.5 points per attempt, with the ladder leading the squad in assists per game and 3-point field goal accuracy. Senior 7'0 center Taylor Danaher adds 7.3 points and 4.3 boards per contest and he leads the team in field-goal percentage (54.2), sitting fifth in the league. The Mountaineers hold the best turnover margin in the conference (+5.25) and sit third in the NEC in scoring defense. The Mount also rank inside the top-five in the league in blocks, steals and 3-point field goal percentage

TOP DAWGS VS. MOUNT
Senior captain Shane McLaughlin had one of the best performances in a Bulldog unfiform against the Mountaineers on Jan. 9, posting 21 points, 10 boards and eight helpers in Bryan'ts 82-79 double OT win. He averages 6.1 points and 3.6 boards in eight career matchups with the Mount. Sophomore Bosko Kostur played just four minutes against MSM earlier in the year, but he averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 boards against the foe in both games last season. Freshmen Marcel Pettway and Nisre Zouzoua both found success against the Mountaineers in the Jan. 9 meeting, scoring 13 and 15 points, respectively, and combining for 12 caroms.
 
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE  
The Bulldogs are 4-11 against Northeast Conference competition in 2015-16 with an overall record of 47-73 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 38-29 record over the last three seasons. The Black and Gold are 22-14 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 61-90.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs were tied, 29-29 at halftime on Thursday night, but Sacred Heart opened the second frame on a 15-2 run to take control of the contest. Despite cutting the deficit to five points, Bryant was unable to get any closer and fell to the Pioneers, 74-57. Froshes Nisre Zouzoua and Marcel Pettway had 14 and 12 points, respectively, each grabbing five boards. Bosko Kostur came off the bench to score 11 points and snare seven caroms in the loss. Three Pioneers charted double-doubles in the win. Cane Broome paced the visitors with 27 points and 10 rebounds, Tevin Falzon poured in 18 points and corralled 18 boards, and Quincy McKnight added 12 points with 11 rebounds. Both sides combined to shoot 2-for-31 from long range, but the Pioneers attempted 16 more shots and converted at a .413 clip
 
QUICK HITS
» If No One, Is In Front of You Then You Are At the Charity (Stripe): The Bulldogs have struggled from the line this season, ranking last in the NEC in free-throw accuracy. But Thursday's output from the line (14-for-14) is the first time in the team's Division I history that it has been perfect from the line. The effort marks just the fourth time in program history that Bryant has shot 100.0 percent from the charity stripe.   

» Trey Is Not Bae Bae: The 1-for-16 clip from beyond the arc against the Pioneers on Thursday is the worst performance (6.7 percent) from 3-point land that the Bulldogs have put forth in their Division I history. On that same day, Sacred Heart converted 1-of-15 from long range and the 6.7 percent effort is the second lowest accuracy that Bryant has allowed an opponent since joining the DI ranks.

» You Can Find Me In the 500 Club: Sophomore guard Hunter Ware scored his 500th career point at the 9:10 mark of the first half against the Knights on Feb. 11, 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.

» Livin Life In the Fast Lane: The Bulldogs gave up 91 points to FDU on Feb. 11, but managed to score 77 points themselves, marking the first time that Bryant has scored at least 77 points in a losing effort since Dec. 21, 2013, which was a 108-107 overtime defeat against Delaware.

» Deceptive Percentages: The Bulldogs lost the Jan. 30 contest to the 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.
 
» Roller Coaster: After opening conference play winning four of the first five games, the Bulldogs have dropped the last 11 NEC matchups. The Black and Gold have not been defeated in 11 or more league contests in a row since the 2011-2012 season.

» 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.

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 10.9 and 11.6 points per game, respectively, to rank them fifth and third among NEC rookies. The forward-guard combo amasses 22.5 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 17 contests. The Old Tappan, N.J. native leads the Northeast Conference in assists per game with 5.07 and 5.67 helpers in conference play.   

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 24 of the season's 28 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 second as a senior with an average of 36.39 minutes per outing. As a starter (77 games), McLaughlin has played 37 minutes or more 39 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 24 of their 28 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 319th in rebounding margin (-5.4) among all DI teams.

LINEUP DANCING
Through 28 games in this 2015-16 campaign, the Bulldogs have unveiled nine 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 earned 16-consecutive starting nods from Dec. 8 - Feb. 18. 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 close out the regular season in Brooklyn, N.Y., first taking on St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.