BULLDOGS FALL IN REMATCH WITH BLUE DEVILS, 61-48, SATURDAY AFTERNOON DESPITE HALFTIME LEAD
February 06, 2010
BULLDOGS FALL IN REMATCH WITH BLUE DEVILS, 61-48, DESPITE HALFTIME LEAD SATURDAY AFTERNOON
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Freshman leading scorer Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine) scored 14 points to pace the Bryant University men's basketball team, but Central Connecticut's Shemik Thompson dropped 24 to lead the Blue Devils to a 61-48 victory over the Bulldogs in Northeast Conference action Saturday afternoon at Detrick Gymnasium.
The Bulldogs (0-24, 0-12 NEC) took a 24-19 lead after 20 minutes of action, just the fourth Bryant halftime advantage of the season, and were led at the break by 10 points from freshman Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, Md.), who would finish the day with 12 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
Bryant opened the game on a high note, jumping out to a 12-4 lead over an inspired opening 8:32, thanks to four forced Central Connecticut (9-14, 6-6) turnovers and a trio of Bryant thefts, as Jordan and Kondratyev scored four points apiece over that span to give Bryant its largest lead of the half.
But the home side would pull within two over the next three minutes, knotting the score at 16-16 with 5:56 left to play in the frame. A 3-pointer from Joe Seymore would give the Blue Devils a slight 19-18 edge with 4:17 left on the clock, but it would be the final points of the half for CCSU, as Bryant went on a 6-0 run to end the frame, four of those points coming from Jordan.
Junior Barry Latham (Taunton, Mass.) earned himself a trio of steals in the frame, none more impressive than at the 2:56 mark, when he knocked the ball away from CCSU's Chris Baskerville at the top of the key, forcing a jump ball and consequent Bryant possession. He would follow with a big dish on the baseline to bigman Papa Lo (Thies, Senegal), who would make good on the now-easy layup.
The Bulldogs put up their best performances of the year on both sides of the court in the opening 20 minutes, shooting at a 63.2 percent clip while holding the Blue Devils to just 29.2 percent accuracy from the field and 25 percent from 3-point land after allowing CCSU to convert on over 72 percent of long balls in Thursday's loss at the Chace Athletic Center.
But Bryant would struggle to keep the momentum out of the intermission, allowing Central a 10-0 run to open the second session to take a 29-24 lead with 14:24 still to play in regulation. The Bulldogs countered with a 6-1 run of their own - all six points coming from Kondratyev - retying the score at 30-30 with 12:27 on the clock.
But the home side would open up a 10-point lead over the next five minutes, 45-35, as Thompson would score 13 of CCSU's first 25 second-half points. Thompson would break out for 16 points in the frame for a game-high 24 points on the day.
CCSU would miss the front end of a one-and-one opportunity three-straight times down the stretch, but the Bulldogs could convert on just one of those chances the other way, narrowing the Blue Devils' lead to 52-44 with 2:38 left to play.
But the home side would go 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final 2:30 to drive the score to its final, 61-48. Bryant's would score just four points in that span, the first two coming off a Kondratyev dunk, courtesy of an on-point pass from Jordan from just outside the 3-point line. Jordan would score the final points of the night with just 17 seconds remaining.
Bryant committed seven second-half turnovers for a total of 15 on the day while shooting 33.3 percent in the final 20 minutes. Central connected on 60.9 percent of shots from the floor in the second session, including a 50 percent mark from long range to make up 42 points after posting just 19 in the first half. The Bulldogs would outshoot the Blue Devils on the day, 46.5 percent to 44.7 percent but were outrebounded, 29-27.
Bryant converted on just one of 12 attempts from downtown, the single trey coming from senior Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) with 8:43 to play in the contest. Central would get 5-of-16 on the day from long range.
The Bulldogs return to action at the Chace Athletic Center Thursday, Feb. 11, when they will host Saint Francis (PA) at 7:00 p.m.
