Return to Loretto awaits Bryant in NEC Quarterfinal
LORETTO, Pa. – The Bryant University men's basketball team stands three wins away from its first trip to the NCAA tournament when the Bulldogs face Saint Francis U in an NEC Quarterfinal Wednesday night in Loretto.
Bryant rebounded from a 2-7 start in NEC play to go 5-4 on the back nine of the conference schedule and earn the No. 7 seed in the eight-team field.
The Particulars
Opponent: Saint Francis U
Location: Loretto, Pa. (DeGol Arena)
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 4 – 7 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh, Bernie Jubeck)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #KEB1 | #NECMBB
SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
Saint Francis U is the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament after falling 78-68 Saturday at Robert Morris. The Red Flash were riding an eight-game winning streak before Saturday's loss in Moon Township, which dropped SFU from the No. 1 to No. 2 seed.
The Red Flash are led by the tandem of Keith Braxton and Isaiah Blackmon. Braxton became the first player in NEC history Saturday to add 1,000 career rebounds to a 2,000-point career. The duo ranks second and third in the league in scoring with Blackmon at 19.9 points per game and Braxton at 17.2.
SFU leads the league in scoring at 77.5 points per game and a +5.5 scoring margin on the season. The Red Flash advanced to the NEC Championship game in 2019 and has fallen in the league title game in two of the last three seasons. This year's Saint Francis team is the first to win 20 games in a season since the 1990-91 Red Flash won 24 games under head coach Jim Baron.
THE SERIES
The Red Flash hold a 13-10 advantage in the all-time series with the home team winning the last six meetings between the teams. Bryant and SFU split the regular season series for the second straight season in 2019-20, as Bryant opened conference play with a 67-63 win over SFU and the Red Flash downed the Bulldogs 84-64 in Loretto Feb. 1.
Saint Francis has been a thorn in Bryant's side in the NEC tournament, as the Red Flash have ended the Bulldogs' season in three of Bryant's five previous NEC tournament appearances. The teams meet for the second consecutive year in the NEC quarterfinals and the third time in four years. SFU held off a Bryant comeback last season for a 67-63 Red Flash victory last March.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 80, WAGNER 59
Senior Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) matched his season-high with 29 points as Bryant completed a season sweep of Wagner for the second-straight year. The Bulldogs improved to 4-0 against the Seahawks under head coach Jared Grasso, winning both meetings this season by exactly 21 points.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF PROGRESS
Bryant's 15 victories on the year are good for the fourth-highest win total in the program's Division I era. The Bulldogs won 19 games in 2012-13, 18 in 2013-14 and 16 in 2014-15.
COME ON AND SLAM, AND WELCOME TO THE JAM
Redshirt-junior Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, N.Y.) has 34 dunks on the year, with his three in the first half Saturday breaking Alex Francis' single-season record of 31 set in 2012-13.
THREE NOTES ON AG THREES
Grant knocked down seven threes in Saturday's win at Wagner to give him 99 on the year, topping the record of 98 set by Dyami Starks in 2014-15.
Grant has made 7+ threes in a game five times in his career, which is the most in Division I program history.
With 303 for his career, Grant ranks third in NEC history in made threes. He is nine back of Wagner's Joey Mundweiler for second and 25 behind the all-time record of 328 set by Central Connecticut's Tristan Blackwood in 2008.
YOU CAN'T SPELL CARDENAS WITH OUT N-E-C
Senior Juan Cardenas (Apartado, Colombia) found his rhythm in NEC play after a start to the season slowed by injury. The forward from Colombia averaged 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in conference games with nine games in double figures, including each of his last five.
Cardenas has risen to third on Bryant's D1 career blocks list with 67 rejections, passing Papa Lo with three in the win over Merrimack.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS
Sophomore Patrick Harding (Fairfield, Conn.) passed Joe O'Shea Thursday for fourth in Bryant's Division I history in career rebounds and now has 434 for his career. Harding's 434 career rebounds are 17 back of Alex Francis for the most ever by a Bulldog through the end of his sophomore season, and his 276 this year are a Division I program record.
Harding's 15-rebound effort Feb. 13 at Sacred Heart marked his fifth performance of 15+ rebounds this season, surpassing the total of four by all other players in Bryant's 12-year D1 history. Cardenas collected the sixth 15-rebound game of the season Feb. 18.
Harding is averaging 8.9 rebounds per game in 2019-20 and ranks third in the NEC. He has collected 31.2% of potential defensive rebounds while on the floor this season, good for third nationally.
FORWARD THINKING
Bryant has found success in 2019-20 with a starting frontcourt of Cardenas and Elisias. The Bulldogs are 10-6 this year when the duo is on the floor for the opening tip and 5-2 in the last seven contests in which Apartadó and Valley Stream have both been announced in pregame introductions.
FRESH PRINCES OF SMITHFIELD
Bryant freshmen Michael Green III (Bronx, N.Y.), Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan), and Charles Pride (Syracuse, N.Y.) rank second, third and fourth on the team in scoring and have combined for 39 games of 10+ points and eight NEC Rookies of the Week, good for the highest total in program history. All three freshmen have at least 12 games of 10+ points.
Pride earned his fourth Rookie of the Week honor Monday, which is the second most in program history behind Marcel Pettway's five in 2015-16.
UP NEXT: NEC SEMIFINAL
With a win Wednesday, Bryant would advance to an NEC Semifinal Saturday afternoon at a site to be determined. If Robert Morris defeats St. Francis Brooklyn, the game would be in Moon Township; if the Terriers beat the Colonials, the location and opponent will be determined by the remaining teams in the field.
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