Bryant continues homestand Thursday against CCSU

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University men's basketball team continues a four-game homestand when the Bulldogs host Central Connecticut Thursday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

The Particulars
Opponent: Central Connecticut
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Thursday, Jan. 24 – 7 p.m.
Tickets: Thursday
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 

PROMOTIONS
$10,000 Half-Court Shot
Bryant students can enter at Thursday's game for a chance to win a half-court shot for $10,000. 

Dollar Dog Night Presented by Sodexo
Hot dogs at the Chace Athletic Center concession stand will be available for $1 at each of our Thursday night NEC home games this season. 

Suits & Sneakers
The Bryant coaching staff will be joining coaches around the country in wearing sneakers to support the fight against cancer. 

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut is 8-11 and 2-4 in the NEC after a pair of 11-point defeats at home to Saint Francis U and Robert Morris last weekend. The Blue Devils' two NEC wins have both been on the road with a double-overtime victory at Fairleigh Dickinson and win at Mount St. Mary's. 

Tyler Kohl ranks fourth in the NEC at 17.1 points per game, third in assists at 4.7 and eighth in rebounds at 6.6. Deion Bute has shot 62.1 percent from the field, good for second in the conference.

THE SERIES
Bryant is 10-9 against Central Connecticut in the Division I era and 16-16 dating back to Division II matchups in the 70s and 80s. The Blue Devils swept the season series a year ago after Bryant had won nine of the previous 10 meetings. 

Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) tallied 22 points and eight assists in last year's meeting in Smithfield, while Monty Urmilevicius (Kaunas, Lithuania) posted his first career double-double.

LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 76, SAINT FRANCIS U 67
Redshirt-senior Byron Hawkins (Fort Washington, Md.) scored 16 points off the bench, all in the second half, as the Bulldogs shot 67 percent from the field and 78 percent from three after halftime to pick up a win over the Red Flash Monday. 

DOUBLE PLAY
Bryant enters the weekend as the only team in the nation to have already doubled its win total from a year ago. 

HALF & HALF
Four of Bryant's six wins - Saint Peter's, New Hampshire, Dartmouth and Saint Francis U - have been in games in which the Bulldogs trailed at halftime. The Bulldogs have shot 57.3 percent from the field in the second halves of those contests. 

LIGHTS OUT
Bryant shot a season-best 53.2 percent from the field in Monday's win over Saint Francis U. The Bulldogs were 10-for-22 (45.5) from three and 16-for-20 (80.0) from the free throw line. 

THE DEFENSE DOES NOT REST
The Black & Gold have held five of their last eight opponents - Dartmouth, Iowa, St. Francis Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary's and Saint Francis U - to 72 points or less. Bryant has gone 4-1 in those five games. 

Bryant allowed a season-low 59 points to Mount St. Mary's - the Bulldogs' best defensive effort on the scoreboard since holding Central Connecticut to 54 points Jan. 25, 2017.

NINO PROVIDING SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Freshman Nino Hernandez (Gardner, Mass.) has averaged 12.7 minutes per game off the bench in the Bulldogs' last three contests. Hernandez scored a career-best 14 points in 14 minutes at Sacred Heart and played a career-high 16 minutes Saturday vs. Robert Morris, recording personal-bests in rebounds (3) and assists (3). 

NOT BASHFUL FROM BEYOND THE ARC
Junior SaBastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) is 13-for-34 (38.2) from three this year including a game-winner against Dartmouth. Townes made a combined four three-pointers in his first two seasons. 

UP NEXT: FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
Bryant wraps up a four-game homestand when the Bulldogs host Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday at 4 p.m. 

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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