Bulldogs, Colonials battle Thursday night at the Chace (7p)

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- With just two playoff spots still available and a three-game lead over ninth-place CCSU, the Bryant University men's basketball team will battle Robert Morris Thursday at 7:00 p.m. looking to solidify its spot in the 2017 NEC Tournament.

THE PARTICULARS
The Colonials and the Bulldogs enter the contest tied for seventh in the regular-season standings, and the winner of Thursday's game would clinch one of the two remaining postseason bids with a CCSU loss. The contest can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com or heard on WOON 1240 AM.

THE SERIES
Thursday's contest marks the 16th meeting between the Bulldogs and Colonials, with Robert Morris holding a 12-3 all-time lead in the series. Bryant won the most recent matchup between the sides — a 59-56 victory in Pennsylvania less than a month ago — but the real trend the Bulldogs will be looking to buck is their lack of success against RMU at home: the Colonials are a perfect 6-0 against the Black and Gold inside the Chace Athletic Center.
 
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Winners of three of its last four games, RMU is led by guards Isaiah Still (14.5 ppg) and Kavon Stewart (11.4 ppg), while Dachon Burke has produced a hot 9.8 ppg since starting conference play. Aaron Tate is the side's top rebounder at 6.6 boards per outing, but the name of the Colonials' game is defense. While RMU ranks ninth in the NEC in scoring offense at just 62.5 points per game, it ranks second in points allowed (66.7), third in field goal percentage defense (.432) and tops in 3-point defense (.289) and steals per game (7.70).

CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. ROBERT MORRIS
After this season's earlier meeting, 12 current Bulldogs have faced the Colonials in their careers. Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua leads the way with a 12.0 points per game average through three meetings, while senior bigman Dan Garvin averages 8.9 with six rebounds across seven meetings spanning four seasons. The senior is .519 from the floor with nine blocks. Sophomore Marcel Pettway has posed the toughest challenge to the Colonials, averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in three contests, shooting 57.9 percent from the field.

BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE  
The Bulldogs hold an overall record of 54-83 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 45-39 record over the last four seasons. The Black and Gold are 26-17 at home versus the NEC and 22-24 on the road since the start of 2012-13. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 68-100.

LAST TIME OUT
Bryant led nearly the full 40 minutes against St. Francis Brooklyn at home, using hot first-half shooting (70.8 percent) to jumpstart an 80-69 victory last Saturday. All five Bulldog starters finished in double figures for the firs time this season, paced by 17 points from leading scorer Nisre Zouzoua. The sophomore sharpshooter went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc in the outing as the Black and Gold were nearly 50 percent as a team from distance (9-19) and finished the contest shooting a season-high 53.3 percent.

QUICK HITS
» Start me up: All five Bryant starters scored in double digits for the first time this season in Saturday's 80-69 home win over St. Francis Brooklyn.

» Defense wins games: The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-0 when holding opponents under 70 points this season.

» High octane: The Bulldogs recorded their highest team shooting percentage of the season last time out, connecting on 24-of-45 shots for a 53.3 percent completion rate. It is the fourth time this season Bryant has finished a game shooting 50 percent or better, but the Black and Gold are just 2-2 in those outings.

» Home Sweet Home? Maybe not when it comes to hosting Robert Morris. The Bulldogs will be looking for their first-ever victory over the Colonials in front of the home crowd Thursday night.

» Bulletin board material: A look at the archives will tell you why Robert Morris has been such a thorn in the sides of the Bulldogs. The Colonials have handed Bryant two of the program's major losses: a road defeat in the 2014-15 NEC Tournament (66-53) and the team's largest loss in the DI era in 2011 (91-38).

FREE HOOPS
After playing three overtime games in the last five outings and five OT games already this season, the Bulldogs are among the nation's leaders when it comes to needing extra time to decide a victor. Bryant is one of just 11 Division I teams to have played at least five OT contests this season, and just three of those teams — Eastern Washington, Toledo and Indiana State — have participated in more (6). In the program's Division I era, Bryant has now played in 15 OT contests, and it is 5-10 in those battles.

JUST ZOO IT
Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua is in the midst of a superb sophomore campaign with an impressive 20.1 points per game to lead the league and sit 38th nationally, while hitting 2.73 triples per game, most in the NEC. He has scored 21 points or more in 14 outings, including a career-high 31 points at Brown on Nov. 28, his second 30-point game of the year. He is one of multiple Bulldogs — and multiple Bulldog freshmen — who have made their mark on the NEC leaderboards, including top minute-getter Adam Grant and assist machine Ikenna Ndugba.

SNEAKY SNEAK
Zouzoua has not just been a force on the offensive end this season, as he has matched those efforts on the defensive side. He sits third in the league with 1.62 steals per game and recorded six steals against the Pioneers on Feb. 4, the most for a Bryant player in a single game at the Division I level and the fifth-most in program history.

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER
Junior swingman Bosko Kostur has reemerged as a consistent and constant threat for the Bulldogs as of late and has reached double figures on the scoreboard 10 times in his 13 contests since becoming a starter. After scoring no more than four points and playing no more than eight minutes over the first six games of the year, he has played 20+ minutes in all 13 starts since Jan. 5, averaging 13.7 points per game over the stretch. The Melbourne, Australia product is averaging 9.5 ppg on the year as a whole, shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from deep and posting a career-high 26 points last Thursday against LIU Brooklyn. He is putting up 11.9 ppg in conference play.

I THINK IKENNA
Rookie guard Ikenna Ndugba was on point when it came to shot selection against the Terriers in the team's last outing, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field with a 2-for-2 mark from beyond the arc. The frosh also chipped in a game- and career-high four steals, adding in six boards and three helpers on the 12-point performance. He is 8-of-12 (.667) from the field and 5-of-9 (.556) from long range over the last three contests, but has also averaged more than 35 minutes per game in that stretch.

TICKET TO RIDE
Single-game tickets are available for the 2016-17 Bryant University men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can purchase tickets online at bryantbulldogs.com/tickets or by calling the Bryant Athletics Ticket Office at 401-319-TIXX.

NO TICKET, NO PROBLEM
Bryant University Athletics and the Northeast Conference are once again affiliated with the Pack Network and 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 90 Bryant University home contests during the 2016-17 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 DVR functionality. Visit NECFrontRow.com for more information and a complete schedule of events.

ON TAP
Bryant hosts its final contest of a four-game homestand when the Bulldogs welcome Saint Francis U. to the Chace Saturday at 4 p.m.