Bryant hosts FDU Saturday at the Chace
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University men's basketball team looks for a 2-0 start to Northeast Conference play when Fairleigh Dickinson visits Smithfield Saturday.
The Bulldogs have won five of their last six games entering Saturday and look to open their conference schedule with back-to-back victories for just the third time in the program's Division I history.
The Particulars
Opponent: Fairleigh Dickinson
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Saturday, Jan. 4 – 1 p.m.
Tickets: Saturday
Watch: NEC Front Row (Jon Wallach, Frankie Dobbs)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #12Seven4 | #NECMBB
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Fairleigh Dickinson is 2-10 overall on the season after dropping its conference opener at St. Francis Brooklyn Thursday. The Knights have played three KenPom top 100 teams (Kentucky, Notre Dame, DePaul) and have collected wins over Quinnipiac and Division III FDU Florham.
The Knights feature four players scoring in double figures, led by 16.0 points per game from Jahlil Jenkins. Kaleb Bishop has contributed 12.3 points and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game. FDU has been limited to 29.9% from beyond the arc this season.
THE SERIES
The Knights hold an 11-8 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four matchups. FDU raced out to a 17-point first half lead in Hackensack in February, but Bryant chipped away and pulled back within one with seven minutes remaining before the Knights closed out a win on their home court.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 67, SAINT FRANCIS U 63
Senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) scored 20 points and three other Bulldogs were in double figures, as Bryant overcame a slow start offensively to shoot 58% in the second half en route to a win over defending regular-season champion Saint Francis U in Thursday's NEC opener.
HAPPY HALL DAYS
Redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) is averaging 7.6 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game in his last six contests. Elisias has recorded four of Bryant's top six single-game block totals in his first 14 games as a Bulldog with eight vs. Navy and six against Rutgers, Columbia and Dartmouth.
Elisias has blocked 17.1% of opponents' two-point attempts while on the floor this season, which ranks third in the nation.
The 43 total blocks for Elisias this year already rank tied for fourth in a single season in Bryant's Division I era, sixth in Bryant's D1 career history, and eighth in the nation.
A STRONG DECEMBER
Freshman Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan) is averaging 12.5 points per game since the start of December - a stretch in which Bryant is 5-1. The Bulldogs are 7-0 this season when Lin scores at least 10 points.
HARD-EARNED BOARDS
Sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) is averaging 9.6 rebounds per game in 2019-20 and ranks second in the NEC and 33rd in the nation in rebounding average.
Harding has collected 31.4% of potential defensive rebounds while on the floor this season, good for sixth nationally.
NEW ENGLAND EVOLUTION
Bryant's nine wins in 2019-20 are tied for the third-highest total among New England's 22 Division I programs through Thursday. Yale and Vermont lead the way with 10 victories each on the year and Bryant is tied with UConn at nine. Boston College, Providence and Rhode Island all follow the Bulldogs and Huskies with eight victories each.
NOTES FROM DOWNTOWN
Bryant has made at least 40% of its three-pointers in three games this year - 48.4% vs. Cornell, 40.0% at Fordham and 44.4% at Dartmouth.
The Bulldogs have held nine opponents under 30% from beyond the arc, including five of their last six.
DEFENSIVE-MINDED DAWGS
Bryant's defensive efficiency (100.3) leads the NEC and ranks 162nd 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 eight of their first 14 opponents under 70 points, going 8-0 in those contests. Bryant is 18-2 during Coach Grasso's tenure when limiting teams to 69 points or less.
NEW DAWG CITY
Bryant's newcomers have provided 52% of the Bulldogs' scoring so far this season, including three of Bryant's top five in points per game.
Freshmen Lin and Charles Pride (Syracuse, N.Y.) (9.4 ppg) are tied for second on the team in scoring and Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.) (8.6) is fifth. The rookie trio has combined for 18 games of double-digit scoring and four NEC Rookie of the Week honors.
ADAM ADDING TO CAREER NUMBERS
Grant is third on Bryant's Division I career scoring list at 1,584 career points entering Saturday. Only Alex Francis (2,085) and Dyami Starks (1,691) have scored more points than Grant in a Bryant uniform at the Division I level.
COMPUTER GAMES
Bryant's KenPom ranking of 199 is the program's highest since the Bulldogs opened the day at 197 prior to the Dec. 31, 2014 game vs. Dartmouth. Bryant's highest mark in the D1 era is 114 on Dec. 7, 2013.
The Bulldogs rank 167 in the NET as of Friday - second in the NEC and a mark that puts the Black & Gold ahead of three Power 5 teams (Nebraska, California, Texas A&M) and four Atlantic 10 members.
UP NEXT: MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Bryant will be off Thursday before closing out a three-game homestand next Saturday against Mount St. Mary's. The Bulldogs and Mountaineers will tip off at 4 p.m. Tickets are available HERE and the game can be seen on NEC Front Row with Jon Wallach and Frankie Dobbs on the call.
Bryant Men's Basketball tickets are available by clicking HERE.
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