MEN’S BASKETBALL WRAPS UP FIVE GAME ROAD TRIP WITH TWO IN MARYLAND

 December 26, 2008

Game Notes

MEN'S BASKETBALL WRAPS UP FIVE GAME ROAD TRIP WITH TWO IN MARYLAND; TAKE ON TERRAPINS SATURDAY AFTERNOON, FUTURE NEC RIVAL MOUNTAINEERS MONDAY NIGHT

UPDATE
The Bryant University men's basketball team travels to Maryland to take on the Terrapins on Saturday and Mount St. Mary's on Monday. Tipoff is at Maryland is 2 pm ET and tipoff at Mount St. Mary's is 7 pm. Bryant is coming off a 91-64 loss at Providence on Monday night. The Bulldogs will be looking to snap a seven-game losing skid since earning a 59-50 win over Quinnipiac on Nov. 22. This is the tail end of  five straight road games for the Bulldogs before returning home to play Yale on Jan. 2 for just their third home game of the season. Maryland is coming fourth-straight win as they defeated American, 67-51, on Monday night. The last loss for the Terrapins came back on November 30 against Georgetown. Mount St. Mary's is coming off a tough 65-59 loss at LaSalle on Tuesday and has lost six straight since beating American on Dec. 1.

THE MARYLAND TERRAPINS
The Maryland Terrapins will host the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at the Comcast Center at 2:00 p.m. in this second meeting all-time between the two programs. The Terrapins are coming off a, 65-51, win over American on Monday night. Maryland had three players score in double-figures as Dan Neal and Landon Milbourne each scored 14 while Greivis Vasquez added 13. The squad has won four straight since losing back-to-back games last month against top-25 teams, Gonzaga and Georgetown. The Terps are a perfect 6-0 at home so far this year. Vasquez leads the way scoring an average of 17.1 per game, while three other Terps are also averaging double-figures in Milbourne (12.1), Eric Hayes (10.2) and Adrian Bowie (10.1).

The Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
The Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers will host the Bulldogs Monday night at Knott Arena at 7 pm in the first ever match-up between the future Northeast Conference foes. The Mount, favored to win the NEC this year, is coming off a 65-59 loss at LaSalle last Tuesday night and has lost six straight contests. Forward Kelly Beidler posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort. The Mountaineers held a halftime lead in the game, but LaSalle used a 16-4 second half run to take control down the stretch. Mount St. Mary's is 2-5 this season when leading at the half. Preseason all-NEC selection Jeremy Goode leads the way, averaging 16.1 points per game while shooting 40 percent from three-point land. Beidler leads the team in rebounding with a 7.5 average per game while adding 10.6 points.

SECOND MEETING WITH MARYLAND
The Bulldogs played the Terrapins back on November 5, 2004 in an exhibition contest in College Park. Maryland took that game by a final score of 100-85.

GRESHAM EXCELS IN SPOTLIGHT
Junior forward Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / MCI)  averaged 21.7 points per game over a three game span while going 15-25 from three-point range (60 percent) against Columbia, Quinnipiac and UConn.  The junior grabbed All-Tournament accolades at the Columbia Classic for his 23 points per game effort. After struggling against Albany and Iowa, Gresham scored a game-high 14 points while knocking down four three's and grabbing a season-best seven rebounds against Army, followed by a 14-point second half performance against Boston College, including 5 three's and seven more rebounds to finish with a team-high 19 points on the night. After scoring a game-high 24 points against Providence, Gresham showed his dominance against the New England Big Three  (UConn, BC, Providence) averaging 20.7 points and five rebounds per game while hitting 13 three's. In five games against BCS schools (Iowa, Rutgers, BC, Providence and UConn), Gresham has averaged 16.2 points and four boards per game.

TAKING AIM AT THE RECORD BOOK
Cecil Gresham needs just 4 more three's to pass Cullen McCarthy for 6th on the Bryant all-time list for three-pointers made in a career. Gresham currently has 98 made three-pointers in just his junior year.

BRYANT - MARYLAND CONNECTIONS
Bryant head coach Tim O'Shea played under Maryland head coach Gary Williams for two seasons at Boston College from 1982 until 1984. Williams posted a 25-7 record in his first season with the Eagles, leading the squad to a Big East regular season championship and an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 in just his first season. He finished third in national coach of the year voting while being honored as the Eastern Coach of they Year by his peers. O'Shea came off the bench in each of those seasons as the back-up point guard, averaging 1.7 points a game for the 1982-83 team.

O'SHEA AT COLLEGE PARK
Last season, head coach Tim O'Shea brought his Ohio University squad into College Park and upset the Terrapins by a final of 61-55.