Riley scores career-high 25 in final collegiate game, but Bryant held off at FDU, 87-83

HACKENSACK, N.J. – Senior Gus Riley (Nelson, New Zealand) scored a career-high 25 points in his final collegiate game, but a late push gave Fairleigh Dickinson an 87-83 win over Bryant in Saturday's season finale at the Rothman Center.

Seniors Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia) and Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, Ga.) added 19 and 17 points, respectively, in their final collegiate games. Ware's 17 points was a season-high. Sophomore Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) tallied a Bryant Division I program-record eight steals while chipping in 13 points.

GAME INFORMATION
Fairleigh Dickinson 87, Bryant 83
Records: Bryant (3-28, 2-16 NEC), Fairleigh Dickinson (12-17, 9-9 NEC)
Location: Rothman Center (Hackensack, N.J.)

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant opened the game up 20-9 with the first 18 points coming from its seniors.
• Fairleigh Dickinson used an 18-2 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a nine-point advantage late in the first half.
• Riley hit five three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half to give the Bulldogs a four-point lead.
• Fairleigh Dickinson scored the final seven points of the contest, holding the Bulldogs without a field goal in the final 3:49.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bryant got its first 18 points of the game from its seniors and opened up a 20-9 lead with 11:01 remaining in the first half. Ware had nine of Bryant's first 18 points.
• The seniors scored 24 of Bryant's first 26 as the Bulldogs built a 26-19 advantage with 6:50 to play in the half.
• FDU responded with an 18-2 run to turn a 29-22 deficit into a 40-31 lead with one minute remaining in the first half. The Knights led 40-34 at the half.
• Riley hit five three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half as the Bulldogs took a 59-55 lead with 13:23 to go.
• Neither team would lead by more than four until a 7-0 Bryant run put the Bulldogs up 77-72 with 4:42 remaining.
• Bryant pushed its lead back to three on a pair of Ndugba free throws with 2:12 to go, but FDU would score the final seven points of the game for the 87-83 decision.

STATS

• Riley scored 25 points on 7-of-12 from the floor – all 12 attempts were from three – along with a 4-for-4 showing at the line.
• Ware tallied a season-high 17 points in his final collegiate game with a 6-of-13 showing from the field, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
• Kostur scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds.
• Ndugba tallied 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and eight steals.
• Bryant shot 41.7 percent, while Fairleigh Dickinson shot an even 50 percent.
• The Bulldogs forced 20 Knight turnovers, a season-high for the Bryant defense.

GAME NOTES

• Bryant dropped to 8-9 all-time against Fairleigh Dickinson.
• Riley's 25 points surpassed an 18-point effort against Siena (11/21/15).
• Ware finishes his Bulldog career 11^th in Bryant's Division I era in points (771), 11^th in rebounds (289), 10^th in assists (147) and third in steals (107).
• Kostur ends his Bryant career eighth in Bryant's Division I history in points (890) and seventh in rebounds (357).
• Ndugba moved from seventh to fourth in Bryant's Division I history in steals, passing Frankie Dobbs (2010-13), Chris Birrell (2008-10) and Shane McLaughlin (2012-16).
• Ndugba's eight steals broke Dobbs' single-game D1 record of seven set in 2013.
• Bryant recorded its two highest scoring outputs of the year in the season's final week with 84 Thursday against Sacred Heart and 83 Saturday at Fairleigh Dickinson.

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