Bryant falls to Siena, 87-68, to wrap up Gotham Classic

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Sabastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) had 19 points and senior Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) added 17, but the Bryant University men's basketball team was defeated by Siena, 87-68, Sunday at the Chace Athletic Center to conclude the Houzz Gotham Classic Presented by TicketIQ.

GAME INFORMATION
Siena 87, Bryant 68
Records: Bryant (1-11), Siena (3-8)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 406

COACH O'SHEA'S COMMENTS

"Guys are learning every day; we talked about it in our locker room. We've got to find a way to rebound the ball better and improve our guard play. We played a very tough schedule, but I like my team once we get fully healthy. They're a great group of guys and they understand and want to be good. It's just a matter of us getting over the hump."

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant led 9-7 before a 14-0 Siena run gave the Saints a 21-9 lead with 13:12 to go in the opening half.
• Siena pulled ahead 59-41 before a 10-2 Bulldog run brought Bryant back within 10, but the Saints would respond and push the lead to 21 before the Bulldogs cut it to the final 19-point margin.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kostur scored the first seven Bryant points as the teams were tied 7-7 three minutes in.
• The Bulldogs led 9-7 before a 14-0 Saints run gave Siena a double-digit advantage.
• Siena would lead by as many as 13 before Bryant cut it to four on three points from freshman Brandon Carroll (Brewster, N.Y.) with 5:02 to go in the half.
• Siena led 46-36 at the half on 53.3 percent shooting. Bryant shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half.
• The Saints extended the lead to 59-41 before a 10-2 Bulldog run brought Bryant back within 10 on a three-point play by Townes with 9:52 to go.
• Siena responded with an 8-2 run and eventually pushed its advantage to 21 in the final minute before Bryant closed it to the final 19-point margin.

STATS

• Townes had 13 of his 19 points in the second half and was 7-of-11 from the floor in a career-high 30 minutes.
• Kostur scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half and went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.
• Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) recorded 13 points and a team-high six rebounds.
• Sophomore Tanner Johnson (Lexington, Ky.) tallied a career-high eight points.
• Siena shot 51.8 percent from the floor, while Bryant shot 43.1 percent.

GAME NOTES

• Bryant falls to 0-2 against Siena in the Division I era.
• Ndugba was in double figures in scoring for the ninth-straight game and 17^th time in his career.
• Townes had his seventh game of 10 or more points this season and 15^th of his career, while Kostur was in double figures for the sixth time this year and 37^th time in his career.

UP NEXT
Bryant closes its non-conference slate Friday at Dartmouth. The noon tip can be seen on the Ivy League Network.

Season and single-game tickets for the 2017-18 campaign are currently available by clicking HERE.

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