Bryant outlasted by Navy, 79-71

Postgame Quotes (PDF)

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) tallied a season-high 25 points, but the Bryant University men's basketball team was defeated by Navy, 79-71, Saturday at the Chace Athletic Center.

Kostur's 25 points were one shy of his career-high. Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) added 15 points, while sophomore Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) chipped in 14.

GAME INFORMATION
Navy 79, Bryant 71
Records: Bryant (0-3), Navy (2-2)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 839

COACH O'SHEA'S COMMENTS
"I'm just disappointed. We had a quality opponent in our gym. We played well for a period of time, but got outrebounded by 15, which bothered me the most. We need to be better on the boards. I think our defensive effort needs to be better."

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant responded from a pair of seven-point first-half deficits to take a 35-33 lead into the locker room. Kostur had 16 points in the opening 20 minutes.
• Bryant led 50-47 before a 12-2 Navy run gave the Midshipmen a seven-point advantage midway through the second half. Navy led 70-58 before a 9-0 run by the Bulldogs, fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Grant, to cut it to 70-67 with 2:12 to go.
• The Midshipmen would pull away in the closing minutes, icing the game at the free-throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kostur came off the bench to give the Bulldogs their first five points of the contest. Navy led 12-5 before a 10-2 Bryant run gave the Bulldogs their first lead at 15-14 with 11:01 to go in the half.
• Navy responded with an 8-0 run to take a 22-15 lead, but Bryant answered, taking a 35-33 lead into the half. Kostur had 16 first-half points, while Ndugba added 10 in the first 20 minutes.
• Bryant led 50-47 before a 12-2 Navy run gave the Midshipmen a seven-point advantage midway through the second half. Navy would extend the run to 23-8 to lead 70-58 with 5:21 remaining.
• The Bulldogs held the Midshipmen off the board from the field the remainder of the game, cutting it to 70-67 after Grant's third trifecta of the night with 2:12 to go.
• Navy would close it out from the free-throw line, going 5-for-6 from the line in the final 30 seconds to put the game away.

STATS

• Kostur tallied 25 points – one shy of his career-high – on 9-of-13 shooting while going 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. The senior added six rebounds.
• Ndugba recorded a season-high 15 points and career-best eight assists.
• Grant chipped in 14 points with 11 coming in the second half. The sophomore guard is averaging 20.7 points per game through three contests.
• Sophomore Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) added 11 points and eight rebounds. Townes is averaging 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in his first two contests of the year.

GAME NOTES

• Bryant falls to 1-3 all-time against Navy.
• Kostur was in double figures for the 33^rd time in his Bulldog career and second time in as many games. His 25 points were the fourth game of 20-plus points in his career.
• Grant has scored 10 or more points in 24 of 35 games to begin his Bryant career.
• Ndugba made a career-high 10 free throws in the game, going 10-for-11 from the line.
• Bryant is 3-0 in winning the opening tip this season.
• Saturday marked the second time in as many games that the Bulldogs had four players in double figures in scoring.
• Redshirt-senior Aram Martin (San Antonio, Texas) made his Bryant debut, recording two points and two blocks in 12 minutes.

UP NEXT
Bryant returns to the road for a Tuesday clash at Rutgers. The Bulldogs and Scarlet Knights will square off at 7 p.m. in Piscataway, New Jersey, on BTN Plus.

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