February 9, 2008
BRYANT TOPS AIC, 65-54, BEHIND EZEOKOLI'S 19 POINTS
Boxscore
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Cecil Gresham scored 16 in
Bryant's win over AIC Saturday.
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SMITHFIELD, RI - Led by 19 points from Jon Ezeokoli (South
Orange, NJ), the Bryant University men's basketball team topped
American International College, 65-54, Saturday afternoon at the
Chace Athletic Center.
The Bulldogs (14-9, 10-8 Northeast-10) raced out to a 20-9 lead
over the visiting Yellow Jackets (10-12, 7-10) on the back of a
trio of three-pointers, two from Ezeokoli and one by junior guard
Peter Lambert (Cumberland, RI).
Bryant shot 46 percent from the floor in the first 15 minutes
and took its largest lead at the 5:47 mark of the opening frame,
when Chris Birrell (Scituate, RI) drained a three to put the home
team up, 28-14.
But AIC would cut the lead down to nine points before entering
the break, going on a 13-8 run to close out the half and take a
36-27 deficit into the locker room.
The Yellow Jackets continued to cut that lead early on in the
second frame, narrowing their deficit to six points less than three
minutes in, 38-32, but that was as close as AIC would get to the
Bulldogs' lead.
The Yellow Jackets pulled within 10 of Bryant five more times as
the half wound down, cutting the score to a 61-54 Bulldog lead
inside the one-minute mark. But in the end, Bryant came out on top,
65-54.
The Bulldogs shot 40 percent in the first half and at a 36
percent clip in the second, while AIC saw its shooting drop from 48
percent in the opening frame to under 35 percent for the second.
Ezeokoli went 5-for-14 on the day after going 4-of-6 in the
first half (three of them treys), finishing with a team-best 19
points and five rebounds. Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.) and
Birrell also notched double-digit scoring with 16 and 12 points,
respectively. Gresham and Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio) each
collected a team-high seven boards.
AIC's Vernon Dupree led the game with 20 points, adding seven
rebounds on 9-for-16 shooting while Colson Senat gathered a
game-high nine boards. The Bulldogs limited their turnovers in the
win, giving the ball up just eight times to AIC's 18, but were
outrebounded on the day, 38-32.
Bryant will next host Saint Michael's College this Wednesday at
the Chace Athletic Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
