Pinzon, Rivera lift Bryant past UAlbany, 83-79

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Rafael Pinzon scored a game-high 27 and Daniel Rivera recorded his third-straight double-double to lift the Bryant University men's basketball team to an 83-79 victory over UAlbany on Tuesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

With the victory, the Bulldogs finish the regular season with a 19-12 overall record and an 11-5 mark in the America East. Bryant will be the No. 3 seed in the 2024 Jersey Mike's America East Men's Basketball Playoffs and will host sixth-seeded Maine on Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 p.m. Click here to purchase your tickets.

Pinzon recorded his fifth 20-point outing of the season for the Bulldogs, going 10-of-22 from the field and 4-of-8 from three. He also added five assists and four rebounds. Rivera posted 19 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for his third-straight double-double. Miles Latimer chipped in 12 points and five blocks, while Tyler Brelsford had nine points and six assists.

Game Information
Bryant 83, UAlbany 79
Records: Bryant 19-12, 11-5 AE | UAlbany 13-18, 5-11 AE
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 669

Key Moments

• Bryant opened the second half on a 10-2 run, erasing a four-point deficit. The Bulldogs wouldn't trail again.

How it Happened

• Rivera scored the first four points of the game but the Great Danes rattled off a 14-3 run to take a 14-7 lead, forcing a Bryant timeout. An Amar'e Marshall steal and slam gave UAlbany the 14-7 lead.
• Pinzon then shot Bryant back into the game, hitting consecutive threes out of the timeout to make it 13-14.
• Latimer then swished a three from the top to tie the game at 16-16.
• UAlbany would take a 22-18 lead to the under-12 media.
• Bryant would regain the lead, 26-24, as Edert celebrated his birthday with back-to-back swishes from opposite wings.
• In what was a first half of runs, UAlbany scored the next five points to take a 29-26 lead to the under-8 media.
• Bryant would take the lead back, 33-30, as Rivera converted five-straight points for the Bulldogs. He finished a three-point play before scoring at the rim.
• UAlbany would answer with three-straight threes to take a 39-35 lead before Bryant knotted it back up.
• The Great Danes would score the final four points to take a 43-39 lead into the break.
• Bryant would use its defense to come out of the gates flying in the second half. Brelsford turned a pair of turnovers into fast-break layups at the other end as Bryant built a 49-45 lead.
• The Bulldogs would take a 53-48 lead into the under-16 media.
• Bryant's lead would creep to six, 58-52, before the Great Danes got a three from Marshall.
• The Bulldogs and Great Danes went back and forth until the under-8, with the Black and Gold holding a 64-62 lead.
• Latimer hit a huge three out of the timeout, swishing from deep to give the Bulldogs a five-point edge.
• Pinzon then went coast-to-coast to convert an and-1 as Bryant led 70-66 with 5:45 left.
• Brynat's lead would hover around six until Thomas converted a three-point play to make it 78-77 with 1:14 to play.
• Sherif Gross-Bullock would convert two free throws on the next possession and Bryant would break the press for an easy Latimer layup on the next to make it 82-79.

Stats

• Bryant finished the game 30-of-58 (51.7 percent) from the field, 9-of-20 (45.0 percent) from three and 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from the line.
• UAlbany held a 43-41 edge on the glass.
• Bryant finished with 19 assists and also blocked 13 shots.
• Pinzon was 10-of-22 from the field and 4-of-8 from three, finishing with 27 points. He added five assists and four rebounds.
• Rivera went 8-of-13 from the field to finish with 19 points. He grabbed 17 rebounds.
• Latimer posted 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and five blocks.
• Brelsford chipped in nine points and six assists.
• Gross-Bullock posted eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
• Edert knocked down a pair of threes off the bench.
• Keyshawn Mitchell recorded two points, seven boards and three blocks.

Game Notes

• Bryant swept the season series from UAlbany for the second-straight year. The Bulldogs have now won the last four meetings and own a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.
• The Bulldogs improved to 10-3 at home this season and 43-9 at home since the start of the 2020-21 season.
• Bryant's 19 victories are tied with the 2021-22 and 2012-13 teams for the most regular season wins in DI program history.
• Rivera posted his third-straight double-double. He now has seven double-doubles on the year. Tuesday was his 21^st double-figure game of the season.
• Rivera set a new career high with 17 rebounds. The 17 rebounds are tied for the fourth-most in a single game in DI program history.
• Pinzon finished in double figures for the 20^th time this season and the 27^th time in his career.
• Pinzon posted his fifth 20-point game of the season. The 27 points were one shy of his career high set vs Towson.
• Gross-Bullock blocked multiple shots for the second-straight game.
• Brelsford's six assists were his most since recording 11 in his Bryant debut on Nov. 9, 2021.
• Latimer blocked a career-high five shots.
• Mitchell posted career highs in blocks (3), rebounds (7) and minutes (14).

Up Next
Bryant will host Maine in a quarterfinal game at the Chace Athletic Center in the 2024 Jersey Mike's America East Men's Basketball Playoffs on Saturday, March 9. Tip is set for 2:00 p.m.