Bryant hosts Drexel Friday morning at 11 AM

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's basketball team returns to the Chace Athletic Center on Friday morning, hosting Drexel for its annual Kids Day game. Tip is set for 11:00 a.m.

Friday's contest will mark the final home game of non-conference season for the Black and Gold. Bryant closes the year at Ole Miss on New Year's Eve before opening America East play on Jan. 6 at UMBC.

The Particulars
Opponent: Drexel
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Friday, Dec. 22 - 11:00 AM EST 
Live Stats: Presto
Watch: ESPN+
Game Notes: Bryant | Drexel
Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram | #AEMBB

THE SERIES
Bryant and Drexel are meeting for the second time in program history and for the first time since the 19-20 season. The Dragons earned an 86-74 victory in Philadelphia. Charles Pride (25) and Adam Grant (24) combined for 49 of Bryant's 74 points in the contest.      

BRYANT KNOCKS OFF NO. 10 FAU
Bryant pulled off one of the biggest upsets in program history on Saturday night, ending 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic's 19-game home winning streak with a 61-52 victory. The Bulldogs were facing a veteran group that advanced to the 2023 Final Four. Bryant held FAU to just 5-of-30 from three. Sherif Gross-Bullock and Earl Timberlake paced the upset as each finished with a double-double. 

BULLDOGS WIN 2OT CONTEST VS TOWSON
Bryant trailed by 4 with 7.0 seconds left vs Towson last Saturday. The Bulldogs, however, earned a 101-93 2OT victory. Rafael Pinzon drilled a three with 4.3 seconds left to pull Bryant within one. Towson was then able to hit two free throws to make it a three-point game. Bryant then inbounded to Doug Edert who alertly attempted to shoot as quickly as possible from midcourt, drawing a shooting foul. Edert calmly sank all three free throws to tie the game with 3.0 seconds. In overtime, Bryant trailed by three in the first overtime before coming back to force a second OT. The Black and Gold then scored the first nine points of the second OT, going 12-of-14 from the line in overtime.

RAF TAKES HOME MVP HONORS
Rafael Pinzon took home Holiday Hoopfest MVP honors after scorching the twine for a career-high 28 points in Bryant's win over Towson. He finished 11-of-22 from the field in a career-high 46 minutes. Pinzon played his best basketball in the second half and overtime, scoring 22 of his 28 in the final 30 minutes. 

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Bryant enters Friday ranked sixth nationally with 6.8 blocks per game and 17th nationally in field goal percentage defense (37.8 percent).  

FIVE MORE THINGS TO KNOW

1. Sherif Gross-Bullock is averaging a team-best 16.1 ppg. He has scored in double-figures in all but three games this season. 
2. Earl Timberlake has done a little bit of everything this year, entering Friday averaging 12.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.2 apg and 1.6 bpg. He has five games with 10+ rebounds and has flirted with a triple-double on two occasions. Timberlake is averaging 2.8 blocks per game over his last four games. He was named the America East Player of the Week on Dec. 18 after averaging 13.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 5.0 apg.   
3. Connor Withers enters Friday on a tear over the last five games. After scoring a career-high 32 points at Stony Brook, Withers followed up with a team-high 15 points at Cincinnati. Over his last five, Withers is averaging 14.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 bpg and 2.2 spg.
4. Daniel Rivera tied his career high with six blocks vs Towson and now ranks 25th nationally with 2.3 blocks per game. 
5. Tyler Brelsford has posted 10+ points in each of the last two games and is averaging a career-high 7.2 ppg. Against Towson, Brelsford turned the ball over just once in a career-high 44 minutes.
6. A bonus bullet goes to Doug Edert who posted his second 20-point outing as a Bulldog against Towson. Edert canned three free throws with 3.0 seconds left in regulation and finished the game 11-of-13 from the line.                                 

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