Bryant welcomes Wagner to the Chace Thursday
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's basketball team closes out its January home slate when Wagner visits the Chace Athletic Center Thursday night.
The Bulldogs look to get back on track after dropping four Northeast Conference contests by an average of five points per game. A victory Thursday would match last year's overall win total.
The Particulars
Opponent: Wagner
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Thursday, Jan. 23 – 7 p.m.
Tickets: Thursday
Watch: NEC Front Row (Jon Wallach, Frankie Dobbs)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #12Seven4 | #NECMBB
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Wagner is 5-12 on the year and 2-4 in the NEC after a 72-64 victory over LIU Monday afternoon on Staten Island. Five Seahawks were in double figures, led by 19 points from Curtis Cobb.
Cobb, a graduate transfer previously with UMass and Fairfield, leads the Seahawks and ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring at 17.3 points per game. The guard from Fall River has knocked down 3.3 three-pointers per game, which is good for third in the league.
THE SERIES
The Bulldogs and Seahawks are meeting for the 19th time with Wagner holding an 11-7 advantage in the series that dates back to 2008-09.
Bryant swept the season series a year ago with a 71-64 victory on Staten Island and 67-65 win in Smithfield. SaBastian Townes (Chesapeake, Va.) averaged 18.0 points per game in the two meetings, while Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) added 16.5.
LAST TIME OUT: LONG ISLAND 74, BRYANT 60
Senior Juan Cardenas (Apartado, Colombia) scored 15 points to lead four Bulldogs in double figures, but Long Island kept Bryant in check early in the second half to build a 14-point margin and withstood a Bulldog comeback bid Saturday.
JUAN WEEK
After a start to the season slowed by injury, Cardenas had his best offensive week in his first two seasons in Black & Gold. Cardenas scored a career-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 4-of-5 from three Wednesday at Merrimack before tallying a team-high 15 points Saturday vs. Long Island.
Cardenas also passed Vlad Kondratyev and Alex Francis to move to third on Bryant's D1 career blocks list with 53.
THREE D
Bryant has held its opponents to 29.4% from three this season - the best mark in the NEC and 42nd nationally. The proficiency in perimeter defense has helped the Bulldogs to a 45.9% effective field goal defense against Division I opponents, which leads the league and ranks 55th in the nation.
ROOM FOR BOARDS
Sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) hauled in eight rebounds Saturday vs. Long Island to give him 320 for his career, passing Shane McLaughlin for 10th in Bryant's Division I history.
Harding is averaging 9.0 rebounds per game in 2019-20 and ranks third in the NEC and 62nd in the nation in rebounding average. He has collected 31.0% of potential defensive rebounds while on the floor this season, good for eighth nationally.
MR. NICE WATCH
Grant was named to the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List Jan. 9. Grant ranks second in the NEC and 70th nationally as of Sunday at 18.1 points per game, has made 63 three-pointers on the year (good for ninth nationally), and has collected 20 or more points 10 times this season including games against Big Ten members Rutgers and Maryland. The Lou Henson Award is given to the nation's top mid-major player.
Grant enters Thursday 49 points back of Dyami Starks for second on Bryant's D1 scoring list.
3 > 2
Bryant has attempted 47.2% of its field goals from distance against D1 opponents in 2019-20, ranking 17th in the nation. The Bulldogs put up 45 shots from beyond the arc vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, which was the highest total in all-time program history.
Bryant has collected 40% of its points this season on three-pointers, which ranks 11th nationally.
HALL IN, BALL OUT
Redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) leads the NEC in blocks per game (3.0) and ranks 16th in rebounding (5.6). Elisias has recorded four of Bryant's top six single-game block totals in his first 16 games as a Bulldog with eight vs. Navy and six against Rutgers, Columbia and Dartmouth. Elisias has blocked 18.1% of opponents' two-point attempts while on the floor this season, which leads the nation.
The 48 total blocks for Elisias this year rank tied for second in a single season in Bryant's Division I era, sixth in D1 career history, and 17th nationally.
BENSON BUCKETS
Freshman Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan) is averaging 12.2 points per game since the start of December while shooting 39.6% during those 10 games. The Bulldogs are 7-2 this season when Lin scores at least 10 points.
UP NEXT: MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Bryant will make the trek to Emmitsburg, Maryland, for a Saturday clash with Mount St. Mary's. The 5 p.m. tip can be seen on NEC Front Row.
Bryant Men's Basketball tickets are available by clicking HERE.
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