BULLDOG UPDATE
Winners of 4 of its last 5, and 6 of 8 games, the Bryant men's basketball team (15-7, 10-7 NE-10) returns home to host Le Moyne on Tuesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.  The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive two wins last week, defeating UMass Lowell – the No. 2 team in the region – 82-66 last Wednesday behind John Williams' (Springfield, MA) season-best 31 points.  On Saturday, the Bulldogs pulled rank once more, defeated Southern N.H. (the No. 6 team in the region), 62-59 as Williams scored 16 including the go-ahead bucket with 24 seconds left.  Freshman Nick Pontes (New Bedford, MA) helped seal the win with two big free throws in the closing seconds. For the week, Pontes was named the NE-10 Freshman of the Week Monday.   Bryant is currently ranked No. 8 in the  NCAA Northeast Regional rankings, prior to its two wins last week. The new poll will be released Wednesday afternoon … Bryant holds a slim 9-8 series lead over the Dolphins, including the last two meetings (56-49 in 2005) and 72-65 in the NE-10 second round in 2004 …      

NEXT UP FOR BRYANT: 
The Bulldogs will be home for four of their last five regular season games beginning tonight against Le Moyne, will travel to Saint Anselm College on Saturday (Feb. 11).  The NE-10 tourney starts Feb. 25.
            Feb. 11-           A         Saint Anselm, 3:30 pm
            Feb. 15 -          H         SAINT MICHAEL'S, 7:30 pm
            Feb. 18 -          H         BENTLEY, 3:30 pm
            Feb. 21 -          H         MERRIMACK, 7:30 pm (Senior Day)


SATURDAY'S WIN OVER SOUTHERN NH
John Williams scored 16 points and hit the go-ahead basket with 24 seconds left as the Bryant men's basketball team picked up a big 62-59 win at Southern N.H. on Saturday in Manchester, NH.  It was the first win at SNHU for the Bulldogs under coach Max Good.  The Bulldogs shot 44.9 percent from the field for the game, though just 30 percent in the second half as Bryant made just 6 of 20 shot attempts.  Strong second-half free throw shooting proved crucial as Bryant went 10 for 12 from the charity stripe and finished the game 12 for 15 from the line.  Nick Pontes came off the bench to scored 12 points, half coming from the free throw line as the freshman made all six free throw attempts.  Chris Burns had 11 points including three 3-pointers.

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 284 career three-pointers and needs 12 to break the school record of 295 held by Jason Bennett. 
• The Bulldogs are 6-5 on the road this season, 8-2 at home, and 1-0 on neutral courts
• Bryant is leading the Northeast-10 in scoring with 76.1 ppg, Le Moyne is 11th with 68.0 ppg
• Le Moyne is 5th in scoring defense (66.2) and Bryant is 11th (69.9)
• Bryant leads the conference with a .398 three-point field percentage (204-512)
• Bryant has made the most three's this year among conference teams (204)
• The school record for three's in a year is 272 set by last year's squad
• Bryant is RANKED 10TH NATIONALLY with 9.4 three's a game (last week's stats)
• John Williams is ranked No. 6 nationally with a 47.6 three-point field goal % (last week)
• Williams is also 11th nationally with a 3.4  three's per game average
• Williams is also 23rd nationally with an 88.3 free throw percentage
  
  GOOD AND THE BULLDOGS HONORED BY R.I. SPORTWRITERS
  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 will be honored along with the other winners at the organization's 60th annual Sports Awards Banquet on Sunday, Feb. 19.  BULLDOGS RANKED NO. 8 IN THE NCAA NORTHEAST
  The Bryant men's basketball team enters the week ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Northeast Regional Poll, released on Feb. 1.  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).
  
  NCAA Regional Poll – Feb. 1
  Team (Conference) – Bryant results head to head
  1. Saint Anselm (NE-10) - DNP
  2. UMass Lowell (NE-10) – 82-66 W
  3. Saint Rose (NE-10) – 64-62 L, 77-52 L
  4. Bentley (NE-10) -  77-63 W
  5. Stonehill (NE-10) – 51-63 L, 63-77 L
  6. Southern N.H. (NE-10) - DNP
  7. Queens (NYCAC) - DNP
  8. BRYANT (NE-10)
  9. Adelphi (NYCAC) – 70-62 W
  10. Philadelphia (NE-10)  - DNP
  
  THREE OF KIND FROM THREE:
  The Bulldogs have found success from the outside this season, with John Williams, Chris Burns, and Jon Ezeokoli accounting for 80 percent of Bryant's three's this year, making 163 of Bryant's 204 three-pointers.  Williams leads the Bulldogs with 76 treys. SENIOR JOHN WILLIAMS
  
  STARTING TO HIT HIS GROOVE
  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 7th all-time at Bryant with 1,546 career points and second with 284 career three's.  This season, he has been named NE-10 Player of the Week twice (Nov. 21, Jan. 30) and to the NE-10 Honor Roll three times (Dec. 5, Jan. 9, Feb. 6).
  
  Bryant's All-Time Career Scoring Leaders
  

            1. Tom Smile (1964-67)                       2,390
            2. Ernie DeWitt (1977-81)                   2,239
            3. Dave Sorafine (1973-76)                  1,854
            4. Paul Berlo (1979-83)                       1,715
            5. Gregg Cooper (1982-86)                 1,651
            6. Noel Watson (1993-97)                   1,554
            7. John Williams (2002-06)                1,546  
            8.  David Burrows (1990-94)               1,499

All-Time Career Three-point Leaders
  1. Jason Bennett (1997-00)                  295
2. John Williams (2002-06)                  284 (11 to tie)

All-Time Career Assists Leaders
            1. Ned Bohan (1971-75)                      964
            2. Colin Lawson (1991-94)                  363     
            3. John Williams (2002- )                   335