BRYANT HEADS TO COLUMBIA FOR TYLER UGOLYN COLUMBIA CLASSIC; TAKE ON HOST LIONS FRIDAY NIGHT
November 20, 2008
BRYANT HEADS TO COLUMBIA FOR TYLER UGOLYN COLUMBIA CLASSIC; TAKE ON HOST LIONS FRIDAY NIGHT
UPDATE
The Bryant University men's basketball team takes to
the court tonight for game one of the Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic
against the host Columbia University Lions of the Ivy League. The
Bulldogs are coming off a loss in their first game of Division I
play, 76-67, against the University at Albany. Sophomore guard
Barry Latham led the way for Bryant, posting a double-double with
20 points and 11 rebounds. Cecil Gresham and Chris Birrell also
scored in double-digits with 12 points apiece. Birrell added seven
assists and three steals. The squad struggled from the free throw
line, going 12-25 from the line (48 percent) and just 6-15 in the
second half. Bryant won the battle in the second half, outscoring
the Great Danes 42-37, fighting back from a 21 point deficit early
in the second half thanks to 8-17 shooting from behind the arc.
Columbia University
The Columbia University Lions have started the season
with a 1-1 record, defeating Fordham, 65-62, in their season opener
before falling to Seton Hall, 71-50. Asenso Ampin and Jason Miller
each recorded double-doubles in the Lions season opening win at
Fordham, with Ampin registering 15 points and 14 rebounds while
Miller ended with 13 points and 15 boards. Patrick Foley leads the
team in scoring, averaging 14 points a game over the first two
contests.
BRYANT AND
COLUMBIA
This is the first ever meeting between the Bulldogs
and Lions.
Not So Charitable Stripe
The Bulldogs shot just 48 percent from the free throw
line in their opening game against Albany including going just 6-15
in the second half.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will play the second round of the Tyler
Ugolyn Columbia Classic on Saturday against either Quinnipiac or
UMBC. Bryant heads down to Hartford, CT to face preseason number
two ranked UConn on Nov. 29.
BRYANT VS. ALBANY
Despite strong shooting in the opening minutes and
the season's first double-double from sophomore Barry Latham
(Taunton, Mass.), the Bryant University men's basketball team fell
in its first-ever Division I contest, 76-67, to the University at
Albany in the Chace Athletic Center. The Bulldogs took an early
edge over the visiting Great Danes, 5-2 and went up 9-4 after
junior Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass.) got the ball on the right
side of the net, downing a jumper with pressure all the way around.
But Albany took advantage of any moment of relaxation on the part
of the home team, as Scotty McRae proved when he walked through the
defense in the key for an easy layup that knotted the score at 9-9.
McRae's basket was part of a 7-0 Great Dane run that saw the
visitors take an 11-9 advantage. The Bulldogs would lose even more
ground to open the second half, giving up 9-2 run thanks to 1-for-8
shooting from the floor for a 21-point Albany lead just four
minutes into the frame. Freshman Sam Leclerc (Fayette, Maine) made
it 48-30 with the first bucket of his Bryant career - a
three-pointer at the 14:54 mark of the second frame - while a
Latham trey at 12:24 cut what was a 23-point Albany lead to a 52-34
tally. Peter Lambert (Cumberland, R.I.) also chipped in from beyond
the arc, cutting Bryant's deficit to 15 with a three with 11:03
left on the clock. Latham narrowed the Albany edge to 68-57 with a
big three-pointer with 3:08 left to play, and a Great Dane foul in
the double-bonus allowed him to add another to cut the tally to a
10-point difference. A trey from junior Chris Birrell (Scituate,
R.I.) got the Bulldogs within single digits, 70-61, with 1:20 left
to play, and Latham kept them there with a dunk off a great Birrell
feed with just 13 seconds left, 76-67. But that was where the
scoring would end, as the Bulldogs fell to a 76-67 final.
BRYANT TO JOIN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Last 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. 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.
BRYANT BASKETBALL ON WOON AND WJMF RADIO
Bryant University basketball games can be heard live
on WOON-AM 1240, the home of Bryant Sports, throughout the
basketball season. All home games and select road games will
be carried live with Jon Wallach calling the action. Bryant's
student radio station, WJMF will also broadcast home games this
year. All home games will also be made available for viewing
online courtesy of Penn Atlantic.
