February 14, 2009

BULLDOGS COME UP JUST SHORT AGAINST CENTRAL CONNECTICUT; FALL, 65-61, SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Boxscore 

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant men's basketball team came up a little short against future Northeast Conference rival Central Connecticut, falling, 65-61, at the Chace Center Saturday afternoon, despite shooting 9-for-21 from three for the game.

The Blue Devils (12-13), who won the NEC in 2007 and earned a bid into the NCAA tournament, shot 54.3 percent from the field and went 6-for-14 from behind the arc to help edge out a victory and snap a two-game losing skid. Conference leading scorer Ken Horton had a game-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds to pace the offensive attack.

Bryant had three players score in double figures for the sixth time this year, as Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / MCI) had a team-high 15 points, while Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I. / Scituate) and Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio / Dater) dropped in 14 and 11 points respectively.

The Bulldogs played tough all game and had opportunities down the stretch, but could not get shots to fall late. The squad even had a chance to tie the game late when Pete Lambert (Cumberland, R.I. / Cumberland), who hit three second half threes, got open on the right wing off a screen, but came up just short with 20 seconds to go.

A back-and-forth first half ended with the two teams even at 33 apiece, as Bryant shot 44.8 percent in the frame while knocking down 5-of-10 from the outside. Gresham and Birrell paced the offensive attack, with Gresham putting in 14 points while hitting three from downtown and Birrell registering 10 points to compliment his two assists and three steals.

The Bulldogs drew even three different times in the first eight minutes, the last time coming on a Gresham three from the left side to knot the two teams at 14.

Central Connecticut went on the first big run for either side, scoring nine-straight over the next 5:16, ending with a layup in the paint from Marcus Palmer to give the visitors their biggest lead of the half at 23-14 with 7:41 left.

Birrell sparked the Bryant offense, scoring seven of the next nine Bulldog points to draw the teams even once against at 23-23 at the 5:18 mark. The Bryant defense forced two turnovers in that stretch, pressuring the Blue Devils into nine for the half.

After falling behind by five, the Bulldogs took their first lead, rattling off eight-straight points. The run ended with another trey from Gresham, giving Bryant a 33-30 advantage with just over 10 seconds to go.

Horton answered for Central Connecticut by drilling a three from the right corner just before the buzzer to tie the game before the half. Horton led all scorers with 15 in the frame, just two off his league-leading average of 17 points per game, helping a Blue Devil offense that shot 56 percent from the field.

Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y. / Lindenhurst) provided a spark off the bench for the black and gold, scoring five points while dishing out three assists and grabbing three boards over the first 20 minutes of play.

Palmer scored the first four points of the second half to give the Blue Devils a quick 37-33 edge, but Lambert answered with the first six Bryant points on a pair of treys to cut the deficit back to one with just under 16 minutes left to play in the contest. Palmer was the only other Blue Devil to record double figures, finishing with ten.

A 7-0 run just a few minutes later would give the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game, taking a 46-42 lead at the 11:29 mark.

The Blue Devils would answer again, this time going on a 12-2 run to take their biggest lead of the second half at 54-48 with 7:13 to go, following a three from Joe Seymore. Central was 3-for-7 from three point territory in the second half.

Still trailing by six, Lambert hit his third three of the half to cut the deficit back down to three at the 4:14 mark. The senior guard had nine points in the game to go along with three assists.

Wright, who played a tremendous second frame, got Bryant to within one after grabbing and offensive rebound scoring on the put-back, making the score 60-59 with 2:30 remaining. Wright had 11 second half points to go along with seven rebounds, five on the offensive end, while playing solid defense underneath.

The Bulldogs had their chances to take the lead in the final minutes, getting stops on consecutive Central Connecticut possessions, forcing a miss from Shemik Thompson and a shot clock violation, but could not capitalize on the other end. Wright just missed a hook shot in the lane and the team turned the ball over with less than a minute to go.

Robby Ptacek hit two free-throws with 33.6 ticks remaining to extend the Central Connecticut lead to three at 62-59 before Lambert just missed on the three point try. Horton stepped up and hit two more with 18.9 seconds left to basically ice the game by giving the visitors a five-point lead. Wright had a tip-in for the Bulldogs with 9.7 left and Ptacek converted on one more free-throw to end the contest.

The Blue Devils were 5-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final minute of play and went 9-for-11 for the game to help them escape with a victory. Bryant finished the game shooting 41.1 percent from the floor and forced 17 turnovers, converting those into 18 points.

Birrell finished the game with 14 points, four assists and four steals in 36 minutes of play after fouling out in the final minute. Gresham was limited to just one second half point.

Bryant plays its third of a four-game home stand on Tuesday as they take on NJIT at the Chace Center (7:00 p.m.). The Bulldogs will be looking to avenge a, 61-51, loss to the Highlanders back on January 21.