• Sat, 02/25 | Men's Basketball vs. Mount St. Mary's L, 71-62 (Final) BX | RC
  • Thu, 02/23 | Men's Basketball vs. Wagner L, 86-73 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 02/18 | Men's Basketball at Saint Francis (PA) L, 76-61 (Final) BX | RC
  • Thu, 02/16 | Men's Basketball at Robert Morris L, 69-40 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 02/11 | Men's Basketball vs. Sacred Heart L, 72-46 (Final) BX | RC
  • Wed, 02/08 | Men's Basketball at Sacred Heart L, 79-77 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 02/04 | Men's Basketball at St. Francis (NY) L, 80-67 (Final) BX | RC
  • Thu, 02/02 | Men's Basketball at LIU Brooklyn L, 75-70 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 01/28 | Men's Basketball vs. Monmouth L, 78-68 (Final) BX | RC
  • Thu, 01/26 | Men's Basketball vs. Fairleigh Dickinson L, 66-63 (Final) BX | RC
 
November 2, 2006

Bryant Men's Basketball Visits UConn Monday Night; Game To Be Broadcast Live on Cox 3 in Rhode Island

Bryant Basketball

November 2, 2006

BRYANT MEN'S BASKETBALL TRAVELS TO CONNECTICUT MONDAY NIGHT
Game To Be Broadcast Live on Cox Ch. 3 in Rhode Island

GAME NOTES (pdf) 

BULLDOG UPDATE
The Bryant men's basketball team plays its second and final preseason exhibition game Monday night when the Bulldogs travel to the Hartford Civic Center to face the Connecticut Huskies.  Bryant is coming off an impressive showing last Wednesday night with a 92-86 loss at Syracuse ... Senior guard Chris Burns had a career-high 33 points in the game ... The Providence College transfer (redshirt 2002-03) made 10 of 18 shots including 6 of 12 three's in 40 minutes of action ... The Bulldogs trailed 45-34 at the half and outscored the Orange 52-47 in the second half ... The Bulldogs also managed to out-rebound Syracuse 58-53 ... Bryant, under the direction of sixth-year coach Max Good, returns four starters from last year's team that went 21-10 and reached the Division II NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year.  However, after reaching the NCAA Championship game in 2005 where the Bulldogs fell to Virginia Union by five points in the final, last year's squad fell in the first round to UMass Lowell.  This will be the sixth Division I opponent for Bryant in the past three seasons including the third meeting with UConn in as many years.  In 2004, Bryant visited Maryland (100-85 L) and UConn (90-65 L) and in 2005 played at UNLV (81-63 L) and UConn (109-62 L) ... Bryant has two Connecticut natives on its roster:  6-5 freshman forward Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, CT) who prepped at Maine Central Institute and is expected to play a key role this season, and 6-4 freshman forward Dana Mauro (Wethersfield, CT) who did not see action at Syracuse.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Sixth-year coach Max Good will have to find a replacement for the vacancy left behind by the graduation of John Williams. Williams, an all-American and last year's conference co-player of the year, averaged 20.3 points per game and made 115 three-point field goals in leading the Bulldogs to their third-straight NCAA playoff appearance.  This year, the Bulldogs will look to guard Chris Burns (11.9 ppg) and forward Dan Hammond (6.3 ppg) to pick up the scoring from where Williams' left off.  Burns, who was a redshirt freshman at Providence College in 2002-03, gives the team good quickness around the perimeter and scoring touch.  Hammond will help give the team the physical presence needed as well as contribute on the offensive end.  Bryant will be bolstered by the return of forwards Jerrann Wright and Nick Pontes down low.  The two return for their second seasons at Bryant after earning NE-10 All-Rookie Honors in 2005.  Wright averaged 6.9 ppg with 4.1 rebounds per game.  Pontes, the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, returns after averaging 7.4 ppg and 4.1 boards a game as a freshman.   
 
BRYANT VS. DIVISION I TEAMS SINCE 2004
Nov. 5, 2004 - at Maryland 85-100 L  Bryant led 48-46 at halftime
Nov. 11, 2004 - at UConn 65-90 L  Just 7 three's vs.defending champs
Nov. 3, 2005 - at UConn 62-109 L  Burns 15 points
Nov. 12, 2005 - at UNLV  63-81 L  Burns 13 points
Nov. 1, 2006 -  at Syracuse 86-92 L  Burns 33 points

ABOUT BRYANT UNIVERSITY
Bryant University, located in Smithfield, RI (7 miles NW of Providence), is a Division II school with an an enrollment of 3,000 ...  Former Athletic Director Dan Gavitt stepped down in August of 2005 to become Associate Commissioner at the BIG EAST Conference ... Bryant won Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup trophies in 2004 and 2005 which is given to the top overall athletic program among 15 member institutions.

BURNS IN THE SCORING CHARTS
Senior guard Chris Burns needs 133 points to reach 1,000 for his career ... Burns is ranked fourth all-time in school history with an 84.1 career free throw percentage .. Last season, Burns made 86.1 percent from the line - the fifth-best in school history ... Burns also posted the second-best three-point field goal percentage (46.9 percent, 45 for 96) two years ago as a sophomore. 

SYRACUSE SUMMARY
Chris Burns scored a game-high 33 points on 10 of 18 shooting and 6 of 12 from beyond the arc in the Bulldogs' 92-86 loss at Syracuse Wednesday night.  Bryant fell behind 65-45 with 14:07 left to play in the second half but outscored the Orange 13-2 over the next four minutes thanks to three-straight baskets by Jerrrann Wright (12 second half points) top pull to within 67-58.  After a Syracuse miss, Burns drained a three from the top of the key to make it a six-point game, 67-61 with 10:34 remaining.  Bryant shot 37.3 percent from the floor and forced Syracuse into 24 turnovers.  Syracuse attempted 40 free throws (making 25) and blocked 14 Bryant shots.  The Bulldogs scored 32 points in the paint and had 14 fastbreak points.

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