January 3, 2008
MEN'S BASKETBALL VISITS SAINT ROSE SATURDAY
GAME NOTES / LIVE BROADCAST (Saint Rose Radio)
BRYANT UPDATE
The Bryant men's basketball team takes its four-game win streak on
the road this Saturday when the Bulldogs visit Saint Rose for a
Northeast-10 Conference game at Albany, NY. Bryant (8-5, 4-4
NE-10) has won five of its last six including an impressive 86-75
win over Merrimack College Wednesday evening at the Chace Athletic
Center. Junior guard Pete Lambert (Cumberland, RI) came off
the bench to torch the Warriors for a career-high 29 points and set
a new school record with 9 three-point field goals in the
game. Lambert's previous best was 18 points at Saint Anselm
in November.
LOOKING AT SAINT ROSE
Picked to finish second in the Northeast-10 this season,
the Golden Knights (9-3, 6-1 NE-10) saw its seven-game win streak
snapped last Sunday with a 74-61 loss at C.W. Post. Steve
Dagostino had 23 points in the game. The senior guard
is seventh in the NE-10 in scoring with 16.3 ppg and leads the
conference with 37.8 minutes played per game average. Shanty
Robinson is averaging 14.2 ppg. The lone conference loss for
the Golden Knights was a 67-66 defeat at American International
back on November 25.
LAST YEAR VS. SAINT ROSE
Bryant won the only regular season meeting with Saint
Rose, 72-71 in Smithfield, RI behind Jerrann Wright's 18 points and
nine rebounds. The two teams would meet once again in the
postseason with the Bulldogs coming out on top 65-62 in the NCAA
Northeast Regional Semifinals at Waltham, Mass. Wright had 11
rebounds.
MORE ON THE MERRIMACK WIN WEDNESDAY
* The previous record for three's in a game was 8 held by Chris
Burns (twice) and Jason Bennett (vs. Merrimack in 1999).
* Bryant made 13 three's in the game. The school record for
three's in a game is 16 coming against Bridgeport in 2005.
The Bulldogs had 14 three's earlier this year (6 by Lambert) in a
loss at Saint Anselm.
* The 86 points scored was a season-high. Bryant had 44
points at the half.
* The 29 field goals made was also a season-best as were the 21
team assists.
* Merrimack's 25 free throws and 15 made free throws were the most
by a Bryant opponent this season.
* The win was the 122nd for coach Max Good at Bryant (122-78) and
his 231st (231-216) all-time spanning 16 seasons. Good is four wins
shy of tying Leon Drury (126-182 from 1978-1989) for second
all-time for coaching victories at Bryant. Tom Foliard won
174 games from 1968 to 1978.
* Chris Birrell returned to the lineup early in the first
half. The junior finished with 5 points and 8 assists in 28
minutes.
* Bryant's bench out-scored Merrimack's 40 to 7 in the game.
HOLIDAY PICKUP
With the holidays in the rearview mirror, it's time for the
Bulldogs to start getting down to business. Over the past few
seasons, Bryant has traditionally started slow out of the game only
to put together a strong push to the playoffs that has resulted in
four-straight NCAA appearances. Last year, Bryant was 7-4
following the holiday tournament and proceeded to win seven of its
next eight en route to a 21-11 season. In 2005-06, the
Bulldogs were 7-3 after the holiday tournament and won 6 of their
next 9, finishing 21-10. In 2004-05, Bryant was 6-3 following
the Christmas Tournament but opened January by winning 12 of its
next 15 and kick-starting its run to the national championship
game.
EZEOKOLI DOUBLES
Senior Jon Ezeokoli has scored in double figures in 55 of 107
career games at Bryant. The guard came into the season with 43
double-figure scoring games and has reached double figures in 12 of
13 games. The only game he didn't reach the mark was a seven-point
effort at Assumption. He had a season-best 26 points against
Franklin Pierce. His career-best is 30 at CW Post last
season. His most recent double-double was not of the conventional
variety with 20 points and 10 assists vs. Merrimack on Jan. 3.
NOW THAT'S A LITTLE BETTER
Since scoring 45 points in a loss to Bentley on Dec. 4, Bryant is
averaging 64 points per game (allowing 58) and out-rebounding
opponents by 3.7 rebounds per game.
IT'S WINNING TIME
Senior Jon Ezeokoli is averaging a team-best 2.6 points in the
final five minutes of games this season. The guard has 34
points and has made 21 of 27 free throws during the final five
minutes. Chris Birrell is next with 22 points and has made 14
of 17 free throws with the game on the line.
BRYANT TO JOIN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
In October, Bryant officially accepted an invitation to join the
Division I Northeast Conference. The school will begin
a four-year transition to Division I and become a full member of
the Northeast Conference in the fall of 2012. This will be
Bryant's final season as a member of the Division II ranks and will
begin a Division I schedule in 2008-09. Bryant will not be
eligible for conference or NCAA postseason play during the
four-year transition period. The Northeast Conference
includes members: Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson,
Long Island, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris,
Sacred Heart, St. Francis NY, St. Francis PA, and Wagner.
BULLDOGS ON TV
In addition to the Bulldogs appearing on NE10.tv each night, the
Feb. 2 game at Bentley will be broadcast live online on
CSTV.com. For the second consecutive year, Bryant will also
play live to the local community with an appearance on Cox Sports
TV-3 February 16 when the Bulldogs host Southern Connecticut.
