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Bryant wins third straight behind Pride, Kiss and Hurtado
Posted: Jan 21, 2022

Bryant wins third straight behind Pride, Kiss and Hurtado

Box Score Preview
Game Leaders
Bryant
Pts: Peter Kiss - 27
Reb: Charles Pride - 16
Ast: Luis Hurtado Jr. - 10
Merrimack
Pts: Malik Edmead - 19
Reb: Jordan Minor - 8
Ast: Mikey Watkins - 9
Team Stats
Full stats

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Charles Pride recorded his league-leading sixth double-double of the year, Peter Kiss scored a game-high 27 and Luis Hurtado Jr. dished out a career-high 10 assists as the Bryant University men's basketball team defeated Merrimack College, 79-63, on Friday night at Hammel Court.

The Bulldogs have now won three-straight contests and are 6-1 in Northeast Conference play. The 6-1 start matches the Bulldogs best start in program history. Bryant outrebound the Warriors 43-27 and turned the ball over just 10 times on Friday.

Pride provided the energy for the Black and Gold, finishing with 19 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end. Kiss provided the scoring punch, making 9-of-13 from two-point range, while Hurtado navigated the Warrior defense to dish out 10 assists and turn the ball over just twice in 29 minutes. Hall Elisias also finished in double-figures, scoring 10 points and grabbed eight boards.

Game Information
Bryant 79, Merrimack 63
Records: Bryant 9-8, 6-1 NEC | Merrimack 8-11, 4-3 NEC
Location: Hammel Court (North Andover, Mass.)
Attendance: 893

Key Moments

  • Leading 53-46, Tyler Brelsford provided a huge spark off the bench, scoring five-straight points to give the Bulldogs a 58-46 lead with 13:17 left in the game.             

How it Happened

  • Bryant was off and running on Friday night thanks to the three ball. Eleeda opened the scoring and Pride followed with a pair of triples to make it 9-2.
  • Kiss then took over, hitting a jumper before converting all three foul shots when he was fouled the act.
  • The Warriors got back in the game with back-to-back threes, making it 20-15 with 9:46 to go.
  • Pride helped gain momentum back, hitting a fade-away three from the corner as the shot clock expired to make it 25-15.
  • Elisias provided one of the highlights of the night, muscling through Jordan Minor for a thunderous dunk. He would can the free throw to complete the three-point play.
  • Bryant held a 10-point lead at the half thanks to making 10-of-11 free throws over the final four minutes of the first half.
  • Kiss led all scorers in the first half with 17, making 9-of-10 free throws.  
  • Merrimack stayed within single digits from most of the first seven minutes of the second half before Brelsford provided a huge spark off the bench. Brelsford checked in with 13:53 to play and immediately inbounded the ball off the back of the defender and layed it in for the sneaky two.
  • On the next possession, Bryant's offense worked perfectly and Brelsford was able to bury a triple from the top of the key to make it 58-46.
  • Brelsford then lobbed an alley-oop to Greg Calixte to give Bryant a 60-50 lead.
  • Bryant pulled away for good thanks to Pride as he hit a deep three from the right wing as the shot clock expired to make it 73-59.  

Stats

  • Bryant finished 27-of-57 (47.4 percent) from the field, 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) from three and 18-of-25 (72.0 percent) from the line.
  • Bryant outrebounded Merrimack, 43-27, and turned the ball over just 10 times.
  • The Bulldogs finished with 18 offensive rebounds.
  • Pride posted a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds. He was 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. He added three assists and two steals.
  • Kiss led all scorers with 27 points and added three rebounds and three steals.
  • Hurtado Jr. posted six points, 10 assists and turned the ball over just twice in 29 minutes.
  • Brelsford and Calixte combined for 11 points, all in the second half.
  • Elisias finished with 10 points and eight boards.  

Game Notes

  • Bryant is now 4-1 against Merrimack at the Division I level, having won each of the last three.
  • Bryant is now 6-1 in league play, matching its 6-1 start from 2012-13.   
  • Kiss posted his 33rd double-figure scoring game in 36 outings as a Bulldog.
  • Kiss has scored 20+ points seven times this year and has 20+ points in four of his six NEC games.
  • Kiss leads the NEC with 21.6 ppg and is averaging 24.7 ppg in league play.
  • Pride's 16 rebounds were one shy of his career high and give him 435 in his career. He is now tied with Elisias for fifth in DI program history with 435.
  • Pride's double-double was his league-leading sixth of the year and the 12th of his career.
  • Pride now has 41 career double-digit scoring efforts.
  • Pride has now scored 798 points in his career, needing just two more to become just the 13th player in DI program history to record 800 points.

Up Next
Bryant closes its weekend on Sunday when it welcomes St. Francis Brooklyn to the Chace Athletic Center for a 1:00 p.m. matinee.