Kiss scores 30, Pride joins 1,000-point club in Saturday win

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Peter Kiss scored 30 points for the fifth-straight game and Charles Pride became the seventh 1,000-point scorer in DI program history as the Bryant University men's basketball team defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 105-93, on Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.      

With the win, Bryant has now won 15-straight NEC regular-season home games and is 20-2 at the Chace the last two seasons. The Bulldogs also snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Knights.

Kiss and Pride, the nation's highest-scoring duo, combined for 54 points as Bryant scored its most points in an NEC regulation game in DI program history. Kiss finished with 30 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Pride had 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Pride became the seventh player to reach 1,000 points in DI program history when he sank a corner three with 10:32 left. He finished 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Adham Eleeda and Greg Calixte combined for 31 points. Eleeda had 17 on 5-of-14 shooting from three, while Calixte had 14 on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Luis Hurtado Jr. posted five points, nine boards, seven assists and two steals.

Game Information
Bryant 105, Fairleigh Dickinson 93
Records: Bryant 17-9, 14-2 NEC | FDU 3-20, 4-12 NEC
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 1,805

Key Moments

• Leading by just two, Pride hit a step back three to spark a 12-2 run for the Black and Gold. The run gave the Bulldogs a 49-37 lead with 2:41 to go in the first half.                    

How it Happened

• Pride opened the scoring with a step back three from the top and then fed Calixte for a ferocious alley-oop that led to an FDU timeout less than three minutes in.
• Hall Elisias then came off the bench for his first action in nearly three weeks and did what Hall does. He finished an alley-oop from Tyler Brelsford on one end and then got back to stuff a shot at the rim on the other.
• Kiss was hampered early by a hard fall sustained on a drive to the basket but got it going thanks to an acrobatic and-1 with 9:58 remaining.
• FDU would fight back to tie the game at 33-33 but five points from Pride and two from Hurtado gave the Black and Gold a five-point lead.
• Eleeda then hit his third three of the afternoon and Calixte followed with another alley-oop to make it 47-37 with 2:51 to go in the half.
• Bryant would lead 57-47 at half, finishing 19-of-36 from the field and 6-of-11 from three in the opening 20.
• Pride and Eleeda got the Bulldogs going in the second half, hitting consecutive threes to open the period.
• Pride and Eleeda traded threes again minutes later and Kiss threw down a patented dunk to make it 75-56.
• Pride then made history, hitting a three from the right corner to reach 1,000 points.
• Kiss reached 30 points for the fifth-straight game with a pair of driving layups late.
• Mike Iuzzolino highlighted the late stages, canning a corner three for his first-career basket.

Stats

• Bryant finished 37-of-71 (52.1 percent) from the field, 14-of-30 (46.7 percent) from three and 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) from the line.
• FDU outrebounded Bryant, 45-40.
• Bryant had 21 assists and turned the ball over just 10 times.
• Kiss scored 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field. He added five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Pride had 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and a 5-of-8 mark from three. He added nine rebounds and four assists.
• Eleeda posted 17 points on 5-of-14 shooting from three. He had six rebounds and three assists.
• Calixte posted 14 points and two blocks.
• Hurtado finished with five points, nine rebounds and seven assists.      

Game Notes

• Bryant snapped an eight-game losing streak to FDU. It is the first win over the Knights for Jared Grasso and Bryant's first against FDU since Jan. 28, 2017.
• The announced crowd of 1,805 was the largest of the season for the Black and Gold. Bryant averaged 1,690 fans over two games this week.
• Bryant improved to 10-1 at home this year and 20-2 at home over the last two seasons. The Bulldogs have won 15-straight NEC regular-season home games and are 25-8 against NEC foes at home under Jared Grasso.
• Thursday was also Bryant's 14th league victory, a new watermark for the Bulldogs.
• The 105 points are the most regulation points for the Bulldogs in an NEC game in DI program history. The previous mark was 104 set in 2013.
• Bryant's 13 three-pointers are its most this season.
• Kiss recorded his fifth-straight 30-point game and the eighth 30-point outing of the year, the most by a Bulldog in DI program history.
• Kiss posted his 40th double-figure scoring game in 43 outings as a Bulldog.
• Kiss has scored 20+ points 14 times this year and has 20+ points in 11 of his 13 NEC games. He has scored 20+ points in 18 of his 27 NEC regular-season games.
• Kiss has also scored 25+ points in 11 of his last 12 games, including each of his last nine. The nine-game streak of 25+ points is the second-longest in the country over the last 10 years (Trae Young – 12).
• Kiss leads the nation in scoring with 24.8 points per game. Kiss is averaging 28.1 ppg in NEC play.
• Kiss now has 520 points this season, just the ninth time a player has scored 500+ points in a single season in DI program history.
• With 24 points, Pride became the seventh player in DI program history to score 1,000 points. He completed the feat with a three-point field goal.
• Pride now has 517 career rebounds and is averaging a league-best 8.4 rpg.
• Calixte is now averaging 10.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg in his last six games (all starts).   
• Hurtado Jr. has 100 assists this season and now has 71 assists and just 22 turnovers in NEC play.
• Eleeda hit five threes and now has 80 on the year. The 80 3PFG are tied with Adam Grant for sixth-most in a single season in DI program history.
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Up Next
Bryant travels to St. Francis Brooklyn next Thursday. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.