MEN’S BASKETBALL HITS ROAD FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME; TRAVEL TO IOWA TO TAKE ON HAWKEYES FRIDAY NIGHT
December 2, 2008
MEN'S BASKETBALL HITS ROAD FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME; TRAVEL TO IOWA TO TAKE ON HAWKEYES FRIDAY NIGHT
UPDATE
Bryant dropped its second straight game with a, 57-47,
defeat at the hands of UAlbany on Monday night. It was the second
loss of the season for Bryant against the Great Danes, who knocked
off the Bulldogs in Smithfield, R.I. back on November 19th as well.
Barry Latham carried the scoring load, finishing with a team-high
16 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Latham averaged 18 points a game
against UAlbany in two games this season. Bulldog leading scored
Cecil Gresham was held to a season-low six points, as he played
just five minutes in the first half thanks to early foul trouble.
Senior center Jerrann Wright pulled down a season-high nine
rebounds in the game, but the Bulldogs were outrebounded for the
fifth time in five games this year, 46-32. The Great Danes had
three players score in double-figures led by freshman point guard
Anthony Raffa who had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.
University of Iowa
The Hawkeyes are coming off a tough, 57-55, loss to Boston
College on Tuesday night at Conte Forum as part of the ACC/Big Ten
Challenge. Iowa hung right with the Eagles until the final buzzer,
as freshman forward Andrew Brommer had a chance to tie the game
with a one-and-one with just four-tenths of a second remaining, but
missed the front end. The Hawkeyes had four players in double
figures including Devan Bawkinkel (12), Matt Gatens (12),
Jake Kelly (11) and Jermain Davis (10). BC gained an advantage by
holding a 36-22 rebounding edge including 16 offensive.
BRYANT AND IOWA
This is the first ever meeting between the Hawkeyes and
Bulldogs.
ON THE REBOUND
The Bulldogs have been outrebounded in each of their first
five contests including surrendering 73 offensive rebounds. In its
four losses, Bryant has surrendered an average of 14.2 offensive
rebounds per game and 15.5 second-chance points while having a
-13.5 rebounding margin.
GRESHAM SHOWS HOT HAND
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. He has recorded double figures in
four of the team's first five contests. The junior grabbed
All-Tournament accolades at the Columbia Classic for his 23 points
per game effort. Despite not officially being included in Division
I statistics because of reclassification, Gresham's 3.8 three-point
field goals made per game average would tie him for 12th in the
country and his 53.6 percent shooting percentage from behind the
arc would put him at 15th.
LYELL CRACKS STARTING LINEUP
Senior forward Andrew Lyell (Portsmouth, R.I. /
Portsmouth) earned a spot in the starting lineup in the Bulldogs'
win over Quinnipiac, scoring eight points including a three to ice
the game with 30 seconds left. The senior was solid against
UConn picking up five points, five rebounds and five assists. He
leads the team averaging 5.6 rebounds per game while averaging 32
minutes a game and starting in each of the last four contests.
WELCOME TO DIVISION I: ROUGH ROAD AHEAD
The Bulldogs jump right into a difficult Division I
schedule this season as they face three teams from the Big East
(UConn, Rutgers, Providence), two from the ACC (Boston College,
Maryland) and one from the Big Ten (Iowa). Bryant will also play
defending Ivy League Champion, Cornell, as well as each team from
the Northeast Conference one time. The team will spend a lot of
time on the road, playing 18 away games compared to 11 at home.
BULLDOGS SIGN FOUR STUDENT-ATHLETES TO LETTERS OF
INTENT
Bryant University head men's basketball coach Tim O'Shea
is pleased to announce the signing of student-athletes Erick Smith
(Bel Air, Md.), Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.), Alex Herzing
(Lynchburg, Va.) and Vladyslav Kondratyev (Gainesville, Fla.) to
National Letters of Intent to enroll at Bryant University in 2009.
Erick Smith, 6-3, Guard, Bel Air, Md. / John Carroll
School
Raphael Jordan, 6-1, Guard, Bel Air, Md. /
John Carroll School
Alex Herzing, 7-0, Center, Lynchburg, Va. / The
Hill School
Vladyslav Kondratyev, 6-8, Forward, Gainesville,
Fla. / The Rock School
BULLDOGS EARN FIRST DIVISION I WIN
With a 59-50 win over Quinnipiac in the consolation game of the
Columbia Classic, Bryant grabbed its first Division I men's
basketball win in the history of the program.
FINDING THE LONG RANGE TOUCH
The Bulldogs were averaging 9.3 made three point field
goals per game coming into this week, tying them for 17th in the
nation with Iowa.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return home to battle Army on Monday night
after playing five straight road games.
BRYANT AT ALBANY
The Great Danes got 17 points from freshman guard Anthony
Raffa to lift Albany to their fifth straight win, 57-47, over
Bryant Monday night at the SEFCU Center.
The Bulldogs came out playing a tough 2-3 zone that held the Great Danes to just 33 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, but still held a 28-22 advantage at the break.
Bryant had difficulty finding an offensive rhythm throughout the contest, going 8-for-27 from the floor in the first half and finishing the game with just a 32.7 percent field goal percentage and going 3-for-21 from behind the three-point arc.
Leading scorer Cecil Gresham played just five minutes in the first half, as foul trouble forced coach Tim O'Shea to put the junior on the bench with 12:15 to go in the half. Gresham finished with a season-low six points on 3-for-11 shooting. It was the first time the junior was held below double-figures this season.
Barry Latham carried the scoring burden for Bryant through the first 20 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including a thunderous dunk on a breakaway to pull the Bulldogs within two at 15-13 with just over seven minutes to play in the half. Latham finished with a team-high 16 points and was the only Bulldog in double-figures.
Bryant trailed by just two after a pair of Latham free throws with 2:06 in the half when Louis Barraza and Anthony Raffa connected on a pair of threes, to give the Great Danes a six point lead as the teams headed for their locker rooms.
The Great Danes used a 14-2 run over seven minutes in the second half to help put distance between themselves and Bryant as they extended the lead to 46-28 with 10 minutes to go. Tim Ambrose had six during that run that concluded with a Barraza three. That would be the biggest lead of the night for UAlbany.
Chris Birrell would knock down a late three for the Bulldogs to bring the squad as close as 10 as the final buzzer sounded.
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.
