Bryant clashes with No. 13 Maryland Sunday on BTN
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Bryant University men's basketball team aims for the second-longest winning streak of its Division I era when the Bulldogs battle No. 13 Maryland Sunday afternoon to conclude Bryant's non-conference schedule.
The Bulldogs enter Sunday at 8-4 and on their second four-game winning streak of the season. A victory Sunday would be Bryant's first over a ranked opponent, first against a Big Ten member, and would give the Bulldogs their longest winning streak since a program-record eight-game stretch in 2012-13.
The Particulars
Opponent: No. 13/12 Maryland
Location: Xfinity Center (College Park, Md.)
Date and Time: Sunday, Dec. 29 – 12 p.m.
Watch: Big Ten Network (Drew Carter, Christy Winters Scott)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #12Seven4 | #NECMBB
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
Maryland opened the season 10-0 and ranked as high as No. 3 in the AP poll before falling to Penn State and Seton Hall on the road in the Terrapins' last two contests. Maryland's 10 victories include six top-100 KenPom wins.
Anthony Cowan Jr. leads Maryland with 16.5 points and 4.2 assists per game, while Jalen Smith has added 13.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. The Terrapins have held of six of their 10 opponents under 60 points this year.
THE SERIES
The Bulldogs and Terrapins have met once before, in Bryant's inaugural Division I season in 2008-09. Maryland took a 72-51 victory on this same weekend 11 years ago, led by 19 points from Greivis Vasquez, who would go on to play seven seasons in the NBA. Cecil Gresham led Bryant with 14 points and Sam LeClerc added 12 for the Bulldogs.
BRYANT VS. THE BIG TEN
Bryant is 0-12 all-time against the Big Ten but has put a scare into its first two B1G opponents in the head coaching tenure of Jared Grasso.
» The Bulldogs were tied with No. 24 Iowa with three minutes remaining last season before the Hawkeyes closed out a 72-67 contest in Iowa City.
» Bryant battled back from a 16-point deficit Nov. 7 at Rutgers, but the iron was unkind on a three-point attempt from senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) at the buzzer, as the Scarlet Knights survived their season opener with a 73-71 decision over the Bulldogs.
POWER PLAY
Bryant has one victory over a Power 5 conference opponent in its Division I era - a 56-54 win over Boston College on Nov. 25, 2012. The Bulldogs are 1-11 against the ACC, 0-12 vs. the Big Ten, 0-1 against both the Pac-12 and SEC, and have not faced a Big 12 member.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 64, DARTMOUTH 60
Four Bulldogs were in double figures, led by 14 points and five assists from redshirt-junior Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.), as Bryant won its fourth-straight game Dec. 21 in Hanover. Bryant held Dartmouth to 29% shooting in the second half and without a made three-pointer in the final 27 minutes of the game.
HAPPY HALL DAYS
Redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) has tallied 23 blocks in four December game. Elisias has recorded four of Bryant's top six single-game block totals in his first 12 games as a Bulldog with eight vs. Navy and six against Rutgers, Columbia and Dartmouth.
Elisias has blocked 18.0% of opponents' two-point attempts while on the floor this season, which leads the nation.
The 37 total blocks for Elisias this year already rank tied for fourth in a single season in Bryant's Division I era and tied for sixth in Bryant's D1 career history, while his 3.08 blocks per game rank 12th nationally.
BENSON HEATING UP
Freshman Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan) is averaging 13.3 points and 35.3 minutes per game during the Bulldogs' current four-game winning streak. Lin has scored 12 or more points in three of the four games. The Bulldogs are 6-0 this season when Lin scores at least 10 points.
BOARD MAN GETS WINS
Sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) is averaging 10.4 rebounds per game over his first 12 games of 2019-20 and ranks 19th in the nation in rebounding average.
Harding has collected 32.6% of potential defensive rebounds while on the floor this season, good for third nationally.
NEW ENGLAND EVOLUTION
Bryant's eight wins in 2019-20 are tied for the second-highest total among New England's 22 Division I programs entering the weekend. Yale leads the way with 10 victories on the year, while Bryant is tied with Boston College, UConn and Vermont for second.
DEFENSIVE-MINDED DAWGS
Bryant's defensive efficiency (100.3) leads the NEC and ranks 163rd nationally in 2019-20 after placing last in the conference and in the bottom 10 nationally in each of the last two seasons.
The Bulldogs have held seven of their first 12 opponents under 70 points, going 7-0 in those contests. Bryant is 17-2 during Coach Grasso's tenure when limiting teams to 69 points or less.
NEW DAWG CITY
Bryant's newcomers have provided 53.8% of the Bulldogs' scoring so far this season, including three of Bryant's top four in points per game.
Freshman Charles Pride (Syracuse, N.Y.) (11.4 ppg) is second on the team in scoring, while Lin (9.1) and freshman Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.) (9.1) are tied for third. The rookie trio has combined for 17 games of double-digit scoring and four NEC Rookie of the Week honors.
UP NEXT: SAINT FRANCIS U
Bryant begins its 18-game NEC schedule when Saint Francis U visits Smithfield Thursday. Tickets for the 4 p.m. game - part of the Holiday Hoops ticket special - are available HERE. The game can be seen on NEC Front Row with Jon Wallach and Chris Burns.
Bryant Men's Basketball 2019-20 season tickets are available by clicking HERE.
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