Three Bulldogs net double-figures in 75-61 loss to Red Flash Thursday night

LORETTO, PA. – The Bryant University men's basketball trimmed a 16-point second half deficit down to just one point with 7:18 to go, but Saint Francis U. closed the final six minutes with an 18-5 run to win Thursday's Northeast Conference matchup, 75-61.

After missing his first collegiate game, sophomore Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) returned and led the Bulldogs (5-15, 2-5 NEC) with 16 points to go along with six boards. Freshman Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) scored 14 points off the bench on 6-for-7 shooting while also grabbing six boards. Sophomore Marcel Pettway (North Providence, R.I.) netted 11 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

The Red Flash (7-11, 4-3) were charged by 21 points apiece from Keith Braxton and Jamaal King. The tandem also grabbed eight boards each, as Braxton went 9-for-12 from the floor. Andre Wolford tallied 13 points, Georgios Angelou netted 10 and Josh Nebo scored eight and snared 10 rebounds to go along with three blocks in the win.

The Bulldogs were playing from behind early, as the Red Flash jumped out to a 13-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest. After junior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) drew a charge, he drained a three on the other end for the first Bryant points at the 14:17 mark. The visitors scored 19 of the next 27 points to tie the game at 19-19 with 8:25 to go.

But Saint Francis U. scored the next 11 points to retake control thanks to seven points from Braxton and four from King. They led by no fewer than eight over the final 4:54 of the frame and took a 42-30 lead into the locker room.

The lead got up to 16 in the second stanza following a 9-3 run capped off by baskets from Nebo and Braxton, making it 51-35 with 15:44 to go. But three-straight Bryant layups ignited a 15-2 run over a stretch of 5:33 to cut the deficit to three, 50-53.  

Following Nebo and Braxton layups, freshman Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) knocked down a triple from the right corner for the first of six-straight Bryant points to trim the margin to one, 57-56. 

King grabbed a miss just two minutes later, raced down the court and converted a layup plus the foul to get the crowd reenergized. Though Townes answered with a layup of his own, the Red Flash went on a 9-1 run capped off by an Angelou triple, giving them a 69-59 advantage with 3:11 remaining.

The Bulldogs got no closer than eight, as they went just 1-for-8 over the final 5:25, while the Red Flash went 3-of-4 and hit seven free throws to earn the 75-61 victory.

Neither side shot well from beyond the arc, as Bryant hit 20 percent (5-25) and SFU hit 16.7 (4-24). But the Bulldogs turned it over 17 times due to 12 Red Flash steals, resulting in 22 points off of possession changes.

Bryant takes on Robert Morris Saturday at 4:00 p.m. to wrap up its Pennsylvania trip.