Bryant opens homestand Saturday against Robert Morris
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University men's basketball team opens a four-game homestand Saturday when Robert Morris visits the Chace Athletic Center.
The Particulars
Opponent: Robert Morris
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Saturday, Jan. 19 – 4 p.m.
Tickets: Holiday Hoops
Watch: NEC Front Row (Jon Wallach, Chris Burns)
Listen: WOON AM 1240 & 99.3 FM (Jon Wallach, Chris Burns)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #12Seven4 | #NECMBB
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris is 8-9 on the year and one of three teams atop the NEC at 3-1. RMU opened conference play with wins over Fairleigh Dickinson, Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis Brooklyn before being tripped up at LIU Brooklyn last Saturday.
Josh Williams leads the Colonials at 14.9 points per game, while Malik Petteway paces RMU in rebounds (5.5) and blocks (1.4) in 17 games off the bench. Robert Morris has held NEC opponents to a conference-low 62.8 points per game.
THE SERIES
Bryant is 4-14 all-time against Robert Morris after the Colonials swept the season series a year ago. The road meeting was played at Duquesne due to construction of Robert Morris' new arena that will open for the 2019-20 season.
SaBastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) scored 14 points in last year's NEC opener against the Colonials in Smithfield - a game with seven second-half lead changes.
LAST TIME OUT: SACRED HEART 98, BRYANT 70
Freshman Joe Kasperzyk (New Haven, Conn.) matched Thursday's career-high with another 21-point outing, but Sacred Heart built a first-half cushion and led the rest of the way Saturday in Fairfield.
KAS RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME
Freshman Joe Kasperzyk earned his third NEC Rookie of the Week honor Monday after a pair of 21-point performances on the road at Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart. Kasperzyk is only the second player in Bryant's Division I era to earn three conference rookie of the week honors, joining Marcel Pettway in 2015-16.
NINO SHINES IN NEC DEBUT
Freshman Nino Hernandez (Gardner, Mass.) saw his first action in conference play last Saturday at Sacred Heart, scoring a career-high 14 points in 14 minutes. Hernandez went 5-for-6 from the field against the Pioneers.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Freshman Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) returned to his hometown last Saturday for the Bulldogs' game at Sacred Heart. Harding grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in front of friends and family at the Pitt Center.
ORDERING A LIFT
Freshman Joe Kasperzyk has provided a spark in the seven games in which he has come off the bench, averaging 16.4 points per game. Kasperzyk scored a career-high 21 points last Thursday at Mount St. Mary's and matched that total Saturday at Sacred Heart.
UP NEXT: SAINT FRANCIS U
Bryant will play its lone Monday game this season when the Bulldogs host Saint Francis U at 5 p.m. in a special Martin Luther King, Jr. Day game at the Chace Athletic Center.
Season and single-game tickets for home games at the Chace Athletic Center are available by clicking HERE or calling (401) 319-TIXX.
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