Freshmen impress in Bryant’s 89-64 loss at Notre Dame Saturday afternoon

SOUTH BEND, IND. – The Bryant University men's basketball team hung around and grabbed a lead midway through the first half, but Notre Dame flexed its muscles and utilized its length and size to pull away in the second half, taking Saturday's season opener, 89-64.

"Going into the game I thought we would be competitive and we certainly were for most of the day, which is what you want to see in games like this," said head coach Tim O'Shea.

Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) paced the Bulldogs (0-1) with 19 points, including 16 in the second frame. Freshmen and high school teammates Sabastian Townes (Norfolk, Va.) and Adam Grant (Norfolk, Va.) netted 16 and 13 points, respectively, as the former dropped 10 in the second half and tied Zouzoua and Alex Francis ('14) for the most points by a Bryant freshman in a season opener. Freshman point Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) netted eight points in the first half and handed five assists in his first collegiate action. Senior forward Dan Garvin (Bethel, Conn.) scored just four points, but grabbed a contest high 12 boards.

"Our young players were tremendous today, and we showed that we have the pieces that can make up a formidable team not just in the non-conference but once NEC play rolls around," said O'Shea. "Sabastian, Adam, Ikenna and Nisre were not shy or nervous about the opponent and the stage and really impressed."

As advertised, the Fighting Irish (1-0) were led by their three returning starters from a year ago. Bonzie Colson and V.J. Beachem led all players with 23 and 22 points, respectively, combining to miss just eight of their 23 shots. Senior Steve Vasturia netted 16 and Matt Farrell scored four points while dishing out a game high six assists.   

Bryant trailed 9-0 shortly after the first media timeout with under 16:00 to go, but went on a 19-6 run over the next 6:30 to take a four-point lead. Grant powered the stretch with eight points behind a pair of triples from each wing and a reverse layup through outstretched arms.

"We executing really well and had great stretches, specifically in the first half when we battled back," said O'Shea. "I think the final was somewhat misleading and not indicative of the way we competed against a talented team in a tough place to play."

But from there Beachem netted back-to-back shots to tie the game and then converted three free throws to give Notre Dame a lead it would not lose for the rest of the afternoon. Following Garvin's second layup making it 28-25 in favor of the hosts, Vasturia cut backdoor and converted a reverse lay in to ignite a 15-6 run to close out the opening half.

The Irish maintained their double-digit lead in the second stanza, opening up the margin to as many as 14 through the first five minutes. But Zouzoua drained a three from the corner and Grant hit his third deep ball of the day from the top of the key to bring the deficit back to single digits, 55-47, with 13:00 remaining. Zouzoua was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor over the opening eight minutes of the second half to lead all players with 12 to that point.

Just as it was looking as if the Bulldogs would claw back into the game, the Irish began to defend well and control the interior on the offensive end to open things up. The hosts went on an 11-2 run capped off by a Vasturia three, making it 66-49 with under 10:00 remaining. The lead sprouted to 22 after Rex Pflueger converted a three-point play, energizing the crowd and putting the game out of reach with just over six minutes to go. The Bulldogs got no closer than 19 for the remainder of the contest.

"These games give you great exposure and great experience," said O'Shea. "It's a great learning curve for our team to play a program like Notre Dame and great going forward as we return home before another tough matchup at Gonzaga next week."

Bryant will look to build off the positives and turn things around when it returns to Smithfield for its home opener, Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. against Salve Regina.