NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND

#11 American International at #6 Bryant University
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 pm
Chace Athletic Center, Smithfield, RI   (DOWNLOAD GAME NOTES IN pdf format)

LISTEN TO THE GAME LIVE
courtesy of Stretch Internet and BryantBulldogs.com

After a tough 77-67 defeat to Merrimack in the regular-season finale Tuesday night, the Bryant men’s basketball team (19-8) open the 2006 postseason hosting American International College (13-14) Saturday for a Northeast-10 Conference first round game.  Tip-off at the Chace Athletic Center is at 2 pm.  The Bulldogs are the No. 6 seed of the conference tournament, the same position they were in last year when they advanced to the NE-10 quarterfinals … The Yellow Jackets enter the tourney as the No. 11 seed.  This will be the third meeting of the year between Bryant and AIC with each team winning at home.  AIC defeated Bryant, 67-65 in Springfield back on Nov. 22 and Bryant won, 78-65 in Smithfield on Jan. 16.  The two schools last met in the playoff back in 2003-04 with Bryant winning the first round matchup, 76-64 … The winner of Saturday’s game will travel to third-seeded UMass Lowell on Monday night in Lowell, Mass.  The conference semifinals will take place on Thursday with the championship scheduled for Saturday.

SCOUTING AIC
The Yellow Jackets come into Saturday’s game riding a two-game losing skid, falling to Stonehill and Bentley (both at home) in the final week of conference play. AIC, 4-9 on the road this season, is led by high scorer John Huggins who brings a 21.2 ppg scoring average into the game.  Huggins, a 6-2 senior from Philadelphia, has made 81 three’s this season. In the first meeting of the year, Bryant attempted just four free throws compared to AIC which went 11 for 17 at the line.  It was Bryant’s first loss of the season despite a 27-point effort from John Williams.

BULLDOG NOTABLES ….

• Bryant set a school record with 25 wins last year, becoming the first Northeast-10 Conference team to reach the NCAA Championship game (Bryant fell to Virginia Union, 63-58).
• John Williams has 311 career three-pointers, breaking the school record of 295 held by Jason Bennett. 
• The Bulldogs are 7-5 on the road this season, 11-3 at home, and 1-0 on neutral courts
• Bryant is SECOND in the Northeast-10 in scoring with 76.9 ppg
• Bryant LEADS the conference with a .384 three-point field percentage (254-662)
• Bryant has made the most three's this year among conference teams (254)
• The school record for three's in a year is 272 set by last year's squad
• Bryant is RANKED 9TH NATIONALLY with 9.4 three's a game  (prior to Tues.)
• John Williams is ranked No. 9 nationally with a 46.2 three-point field goal % (prior to Tues.)
• Williams is also 5^th  nationally with a 3.8  three's per game average (prior to Tues.)
• Williams is ranked No. 5 nationally with a 90.1 free throw percentage (prior to Tues.)

Words Unlimited, the statewide organization of sports writers, sportscasters, and publicists announced in early January that Max Good has been named the 2005 Male Coach of the Year and the 2004-05 men's basketball team's drive to the NCAA National Champion as the Story of the Year.  Good and the team were honored along with the other winners at the organization's 60th annual Sports Awards Banquet on Sunday, Feb. 19. 

BULLDOGS MOVE UP TO NO. 2 IN NCAA NORTHEAST
After two consecutive weeks ranked No. 4, the Bryant men's basketball team entered the week ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Northeast Regional Poll, released on Feb. 22.  The ranking is the highest in the program’s history and the poll did not include Tuesday’s loss to Merrimack. Eight teams are selected to the NCAA Regional, with the NE-10, NYCAC, and CACC Conferences awarded an automatic bid for its conference champion.  Bryant was ranked No. 6 in last year's final regional poll and captured its first regional championship with wins over each of the three regional conference champions (Adelphi, Bloomfield, Bentley).  Stonehill, which did not make the NCAA tourney, was ranked No. 6 at this time last year before it was upset in the first round of the conference tournament, by of all team, AIC. Stonehill dropped a spot to No. 7 in the last poll and were bumped out of the regional tourney.  The last poll will be announced on Wed., Mar. 1 and the NCAA selection will take place on Sunday, Mar. 5.

NCAA Regional Poll – Feb. 22
Team (Conference) – Bryant results head to head
1. Stonehill (NE-10) – 51-63 L, 63-77 L
2. BRYANT (NE-10)
3. Bentley (NE-10) - 77-63 W, 88-78 W (2ot)
4. Saint Anselm (NE-10) – 87-80 W
5. Adelphi (NYCAC) – 70-62 W
6. UMass Lowell (NE-10) – 82-66 W
7. Queens (NYCAC) - DNP
8. Saint Rose (NE-10) – 64-62 L, 77-52 L
9. Bridgeport (NYCAC) – 78-76 W
10. Bloomfield (CACC) – 102-78 W

WILLIAMS RANKED IN TOP-10 NATIONALLY IN THREE CATEGORIES
Senior guard John Williams has continued his strong shooting in leading the Bulldogs in scoring this season.  The Springfield, MA native was a first team all-conference selection last season and earned MVP honors of the NCAA Regional Championship. In addition, he was named all-region after setting a school record with 119 three's on the year.  Invited to the prestigious Portsmouth Basketball Camp in Virginia, Williams is currently 5th all-time at Bryant with 1,687 career points and FIRST with 311 career three's.  This season, he has been named NE-10 Player of the Week three times (Nov. 21, Jan. 30, Feb. 20) and to the NE-10 Honor Roll four times (Dec. 5, Jan. 9, Feb. 6, Feb. 13).  He is currently ranked No. 9 nationally with a 46.2 percent three-point field goal percentage, No. 5 nationally with a 90.1 free throw percentage, and No. 5 nationally with a 3.8 three-point field goals per game average.