SGB's career-high 29 paces Bryant in America East opener

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's basketball team's America East debut was a successful one as the Bulldogs earned an 82-78 victory over Binghamton University behind a career-high 29 points from Sherif Gross-Bullock on Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

Bryant trailed by as many as nine points in the first half and 41-40 at the break before coming back to win in the second half. The victory is Bryant's first America East victory and its 29^th in its last 32 games at the Chace Athletic Center.

Gross-Bullock poured in 18 of his career-high 29 in the first 20 minutes, finishing the game 8-of-19 from the field, 5-of-13 from three and 8-of-9 from the line. Earl Timberlake added his fourth double-double of the season with 16 and 11, while Doug Edert added 10 to give the Black and Gold three in double-figures.

Game Information
Bryant 82, Binghamton 78
Records: Bryant 10-4, 1-0 AE | Binghamton 4-10, 0-1 AE
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 1,050

Key Moments

• Moments after Binghamton grabbed a 67-65 lead, Tyler Brelsford swished his only three-point field goal of the afternoon to give Bryant the lead back for good.

How it Happened

• Edert got the Bulldogs going with a three but the Bearcats scored the next 12 points to take a 12-3 lead.
• Edert would can another free throw and then finish on a fastbreak to bring Bryant within four, 16-12, with 13:48 left in the half.
• The Bearcats were able to push the lead back to nine before a three from Gross-Bullock and a Latimer fast-break finish brought Bryant back within four, 23-19.
• Again, Binghamton pushed its lead back to nine but the Bulldogs scored 10-straight to take a 31-30 lead with 7:57 left.
• Gross-Bullock shook his defender with a cross over and then drilled a step-back three to give the Black and Gold the lead.
• After Binghamton retook the lead, SGB was back at it, finishing a fall-away jumper while being fouled to give Bryant a 34-33 lead with the three-point play.
• The teams would trade the lead three more times, with the Bearcats pulling ahead by four with 1:27 left.
• Timberlake and Gross-Bullock were able to can three free throws down the stretch to pull Bryant within one, 41-40, at the break.   
• Bryant shot out of the gates in the second half, scoring the first eight points to take a 48-41 lead. Pride and Edert scored the first two baskets before Edert found Timberlake underneath with a sweet feed. Walker's first points of the night came off an offensive rebound to make it 48-41.
• Binghamton closed the deficit to one but Gross-Bullock knocked down a three to make it 55-51.
• Dan Petcash's three with 8:51 left gave the Bearcats a 65-63 lead and BU would grab a 67-65 lead before Breslford swished his only three of the game to make it 68-67 with 7:42 left.
• Gross-Bullock provided some breathing room with a baseline flush to make it 74-71 with 5:25 to go.
• He then drilled a three from the top to make it 77-73 with 2:57 to go.
• Binghamton made it a one-point game with under a minute to go but Charles Pride, Brelsford and Gross-Bullock combined to go 5-for-6 from the line to close it out.

Stats

• Bryant finished the game 24-of-52 (46.2 percent) from the field, 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) from three and 26-of-31 (83.9 percent) from the line.
• Bryant held a slim 37-36 advantage in rebounds.
• The game featured 10 lead changes.
• Gross-Bullock finished with 29 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field. He was 5-of-13 from three and 8-of-9 from the line. SGB added six rebounds and two steals.
• Timberlake posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He was 4-of-9 from the field and 8-of-12 from the line.
• Edert finished 2-of-4 from three to finish with 10 points.
• Brelsford was 6-for-6 from the line to finish with nine points.
• Pride posted eight points, five rebounds and two assists.
• Walker had six points, six rebounds and five assists.    

Game Notes

• Bryant and Binghamton were meeting for the first time since the 2014-15 season. It was the first meeting as league opponents.
• Bryant owns a 4-1 lead in the all-time series and a 2-1 lead in the Division I series.
• Saturday was Bryant's first game as an America East member.
• The Bulldogs are now 5-1 at home this season and 29-3 since the start of the 2020-21 season.
• Pride now has 1,307 points and 662 rebounds in his career.
• Gross-Bullock's 29 points are a new career high. He also tied his career high with five made three pointers.
• Gross-Bullock has now scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games this season. It marks his 36^th-career double-digit effort. Gross-Bullock now has five 20-point games this season and eight in his career.
• Gross-Bullock is the leading scorer in the America East with 17.0 ppg.
• Timberlake scored in double-figures for the 12^th time this season.
• Timberlake finished with his fourth-career double-double (all this season).
• Brelsford canned all six of his free throws and is now 22-of-23 from the line this season.

Up Next
The Bulldogs hit the road to face America East preseason favorite Vermont on Thursday, January 5. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will air on ESPNU.