Bryant grabs record 53 rebounds, stifles Saint Peter's

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Bryant University men's basketball team grabbed a Division I program-record 53 rebounds and allowed the fewest points in a non-conference game in the team's D1 era, overcoming a slow start to cruise to a 69-44 victory Wednesday night at Saint Peter's.

Bryant's 53 rebounds surpassed the record of 46 achieved four times in the program's D1 era, while the 44 points allowed were one higher than the Bulldogs' overall best mark of 43 set in 2009. Freshman Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.) scored 16 points, senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) added 13 and redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) chipped in 10 for Bryant.

GAME INFORMATION
Bryant 69, Saint Peter's 44
Records: Bryant (2-2), Saint Peter's (0-1)
Location: Yanitelli Center (Jersey City, N.J.)

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant outscored Saint Peter's 23-9 over the final 9:08 of the first half after being held to just five points in the opening 10:52 of the contest.
• A 22-4 second-half run helped the Bulldogs pull away, leading by 26 at the 10-minute mark.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bryant trailed 8-5 through a sluggish first 10:52 of the first half before scoring the next six via a basket from freshman Charles Pride (Syracuse, N.Y.), three from Grant and free throw from sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) to go ahead 11-8 with 8:15 to play in the half.
• A 7-0 Bryant run extended the Bulldog advantage to 22-13 on a Pride layup with 2:49 remaining before halftime.
• The Bulldogs took a 28-17 lead into the locker room, outscoring the Peacocks 23-9 over the final 9:08 of the first half.
• A jumper from Green gave Bryant a 40-23 advantage 15:42 into the second half and the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 20 at 45-25 on a three by redshirt-junior Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) with 12:17 to play.
• In all, Bryant would benefit from a 22-4 run for the second consecutive game to go ahead 53-27 at the midway point of the second half.
• Redshirt-sophomore Dren Dedushaj (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and freshman Timmy Kiggins (Westbury, N.Y.) would enter for the final 90 seconds, with Kiggins collecting a steal in his collegiate debut.

STATS

• Green shot 7-of-11 for 16 points while adding four rebounds and four assists.
• Grant scored 13 points and matched his career-high with eight rebounds while recording two steals.
• Elisias earned six of his 10 points from the line and collected five rebounds.
• Harding scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds. The sophomore is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game on the season.
• Pride chipped in seven points and eight rebounds, while Ndugba scored eight points and freshman Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan) tallied six.
• Bryant shot 43.3 percent for the game and held Saint Peter's to 25.3 percent.
• The final rebounding margin was 53-31.

GAME NOTES

• Grant collected the 112^th steal of his career, moving within four of Corey Maynard's D1 program record.
• Grant recorded his 69^th career game of 10 or more points, passing Frankie Dobbs for third in the Bulldogs' Division I era.
• The 53 rebounds ranked 10^th nationally this season by a Division I team against a Division I opponent.
• The 44 points allowed were the fewest since Bryant defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 56-43 on Jan. 17, 2009.
• The 25-point margin of victory was the largest since the Bulldogs downed Saint Francis U 80-54 on Jan. 8, 2015 and was the most decisive margin in a non-conference game in Bryant's D1 history.
• Bryant improves to 2-0 all-time against Saint Peter's and 9-13 vs. the MAAC.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return home Friday to host Northern Vermont-Lyndon at 7 p.m. as part of the Garden State Showcase. Tickets for Friday are available HERE and the game can be seen on NEC Front Row. 

Bryant Men's Basketball 2019-20 season tickets are available by clicking HERE.

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