Box Score December 10, 2008
Box Score
BRYANT COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AT BC; DOWNED, 80-61, AT
CONTE FORUM WEDNESDAY NIGHT
CHESTNUT HILL, MASS.- The Bryant Bulldogs came roaring back from
as many as 33 down with 14 minutes to go in the game, cutting the
deficit to as little as 11, but came up short as they fell to the
Eagles, 80-61, at Conte Forum Wednesday night.
Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / MCI) put in
a team-high 19 points (14 in the second half), including five
three's, and grabbed seven boards to help lead the charge.
The Eagles shot 43 percent from the floor in the first half
while holding the Bulldogs to 29 percent and 2-for-12 from behind
the arc to take a 36-20 lead into halftime.
Bryant jumped out to an early lead on the Eagles, scoring the
first two of the game on a Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio
/ Dater) jump shot. The offense had a much better flow
over the first few minutes of the contest, as the Bulldogs
continued to match BC basket-for-basket, and holding a 12-10 lead
with 15:56 to go in the half after a Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I.
/ Scituate) lay-up.
The Eagles would then catch fire, hitting five of seven from
behind the arc to start the game, three coming from sophomore Rakim
Sanders, helping Boston College go on a 13-0 run and take a 23-12
lead with ten minutes to go in the first frame. Sanders and guard
Corey Raji each had nine points in the frame.
A two by Gresham would bring the lead back to single digits at
23-14. Bryant would continue to stay right there with the Eagles,
continuing to get good looks at the basket but not being able to
get one to fall. Gresham would lead Bryant with five points at the
break.
Defensively the Bulldogs were able to hold preseason all-ACC
selection Tyrese Rice to just one point in the first half. But, BC
would get other players to step-up, as two jump shots from Joe
Trapani and another from Dallas Elmore would push the lead as high
as 17 before the teams headed to the locker room.
BC would start the second half quickly, getting five more points
from Sanders and six from Rice, who turned it on in the second
half, to help the Eagles score the first 15 points of the second
half and hold the Bulldogs scoreless for the first four and a half
minutes to take a 51-20 lead.
Bryant had some solid offensive possessions, but just couldn't
find a way to put the ball in the hoop. A hard drive to the hoop
for a lay-up by Gresham got the Bulldogs their first points of the
half at the 14:45 mark.
After BC pushed the lead to 55-22, Bryant came roaring back,
scoring 29 of the next 36 points thanks in part to a strong
contingent of Bulldog fans at Conte Forum, cutting the BC lead all
the way down to 11 at 65-54 with 6:30 to go. Bryant forced stops on
six straight BC possession as part of a run that featured three
treys from Gresham, who had 11 points during the stretch, as well
as six apiece from Wright and Andrew Lyell (Portsmouth,
R.I. / Portsmouth). Lyell had another solid game with nine
points, three rebounds and two assists.
A big part of the run was the point guard play of freshman
Sam Leclerc (Fayette, Maine / Winthrop) who manned
the offense during the roaring comeback, finishing the game with
two points and four assists. Leclerc was also given the duty of
guarding Rice and held him to just ten points. Adam Parzych
(Lindenhurst, N.Y. / Lindenhurst) came in with great
energy off the bench, scoring six points and grabbing three
rebounds while playing great defense.
The Eagles wouldn't pull away until the two minute mark was Rice
was hit three free throws after a questionable foul call on
Leclerc. BC scored the final seven points to push the score to an
80-61 final.
The Bulldogs will have 10 days off before taking to the court
again when they travel to play the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers on
December 20th (2 pm).
