January 6, 2009
PONTES RAISES GAME IN BRYANT'S BIG COMEBACK
KEN CASTRO
AP WRITER
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Nick Pontes, who came into Friday's game against Yale averaging 4.5 points, recorded his second straight double-digit effort with 15 points and five rebounds for Bryant in a stunning 69-58 comeback victory over the Elis.
"Coach got after me after the Providence game," said the senior forward. "I felt that he didn't have as much confidence in me as he used to. After that I started to play hard and things started to unfold."
Peter Lambert scored 16 points to pace Bryant, which snapped a nine-game losing skid.
After being held to just six field goals in the first half, Bryant (2-11) started the second half with an 18-3 run and outscored Yale 50-24 for its first home win since moving to Division 1.
"There was so much futility in the first half, our guys couldn't put the ball in the basket, we got tentative, we couldn't get good looks," said Bryant head coach Tim O'Shea. "But we just captured a wave of emotion and that kind of happens sometimes when you're playing at home. You inch closer and get the crowd into it."
Chris Birrell scored 11 of his 14 points in the second-half surge, including a 3-pointer that gave Bryant (2-11) its first lead at 44-41 with 7:36 left.
"Right at the beginning of the second half, we came out strong," said Birrell. "We played a great second half against BC (Boston College), but here on our home court we were running our transition and played really well."
Barry Latham added 14 points and four rebounds.
Ross Morin scored 17 points for Yale (2-9), which lost its fifth straight. Yale, which led 34-19 at halftime, missed all 12 3-point attempts and in the second half shot only 31 percent from the floor.
Bryant's only other win this season came at Quinnipiac on Nov. 22. Bryant's 69 points on Friday were a season high.
"For us to get our first Division I win at home against Yale is really special, because Harvard and Yale are the two best known universities in the world. To get a win against Yale is really a nice way to shepherd ourselves into Division I," O'Shea said.
