Green scores 17, but Bulldogs tripped up at CCSU

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Freshman Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.) scored a team-high 17 points and was joined by three others in double figures, but the Bryant University men's basketball team was tripped up by Central Connecticut, 75-70, Saturday evening.

Redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and freshmen Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan) and Charles Pride (Syracuse, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points each. Elisias grabbed nine rebounds and Pride collected eight for Bryant, which outrebounded Central Connecticut while both teams shot 44% from the field.

GAME INFORMATION 
Central Connecticut 75, Bryant 70
Records: Bryant (12-14, 4-9 NEC), Central Connecticut (3-24, 2-12 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium (New Britain, Conn.)

KEY MOMENTS 

• Bryant allowed a first-half deficit to grow to nine before the Bulldogs chipped away and pulled even at 33 at the break.
• The Bulldogs cut a six-point second-half deficit to one with just over two minutes remaining, but the Blue Devils collected their final five points of the game at the free-throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Bryant trailed 31-22 before a Green free throw and, after a miss, redshirt-junior Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.) stole the ball in the backcourt and scored on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 31-27 with 2:52 to play in the half.
• The Bulldogs tied the game at 33 going into halftime on a pair of free throws from Green with 20.3 seconds on the clock.
• The Blue Devils led for the first 10 minutes of the second half before a three-pointer from freshman Nathaniel Stokes (Tacoma, Wash.) put Bryant in front 57-55 with 9:58 to play.
• Bryant led 59-57 before an 8-0 CCSU run put the Blue Devils in front 65-59.
• The Bulldogs cut it to one on a Pride basket with 2:26 to go at 71-70, but the Blue Devils would close out the game at the line for the final 76-70 margin.

STATS 

• Green was 6-of-14 from the floor and tallied four of Bryant's 14 assists.
• Elisias shot 5-of-8 and was 2-of-2 from the line, adding two blocks to his 12 points and nine rebounds.
• Lin was 5-for-5 from the line. The Bulldogs were 14-of-20 as a team.
• Ndugba collected eight points and three steals, extending his hold on Bryant's D1 career mark at 138.
• The Bulldogs were limited to 4-of-17 from three. The Blue Devils knocked down nine of 21 shots from distance.

GAME NOTES 

• Bryant drops to 18-18 all-time against Central Connecticut and 12-11 in the Bulldogs' Division I era.
• Green led the team in scoring in both games on the weekend, averaging 19.5 points per game.
• The teams split the regular season series for the second straight year. The home team has won the last four meetings in the series.
• Sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) grabbed four rebounds to rise to 400 for his career.

UP NEXT 
Bryant hosts Merrimack in its penultimate regular season home game Tuesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available HERE and the game can be seen on YurView New England and NEC Front Row.

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

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