February 5, 2009

BULLDOGS ROLL PAST MONMOUTH, 83-71, THURSDAY NIGHT FOR SECOND-STRAIGHT WIN

Boxscore 

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Bryant University scored a season-high 83 points with four players scoring in double-figures to help lead the Bulldogs to their second-straight road victory and fourth win in their last six games as they rolled past Monmouth, 83-71, at Boylan Gym on Thursday night.

Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn. / MCI) scored a season-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting while Adam Parzych (Lindenhurst, N.Y. / Lindenhurst) recorded another career-high, tallying 21 points and knocking down 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Junior point guard Chris Birrell (Scituate, R.I. / Scituate) also had a career-high, handing out 10 assists as the Bulldogs dished out a team season-high 21 helpers on 28 field goals.

Bryant (6-17) had its best first half offensive output of the season, scoring 41 points on 48.5 percent shooting from the floor while forcing eight turnovers and grabbing seven offensive rebounds to take a, 41-34, lead into the half.

The squad's previous high was 34 against Long Island back on January 24. Parzych led the offensive charge with 13 first half points off the bench, going 5-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-3 from downtown, while Andrew Lyell (Portsmouth, R.I. / Portsmouth) paced the rebounding attack with six rebounds, three on the offensive end, as Bryant held a 15-13 rebounding advantage at the break. Lyell finished with a team best nine boards.

It was a very evenly played first twenty minutes, as the lead changed seven times during the course of the half, with Monmouth holding the advantage most of the way. An offensive rebound and put-back by Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass. / New Bedford) gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game with 15:19 left. Pontes scored 14 in the contest and blocked two shots.

The Hawks (6-18) used a 10-2 run spanning from 14:23 to go until the 10:29 mark, giving the home team the biggest lead for either side in the first half at 22-13. The run was helped by Will Campbell who hit two three's in the stretch, finishing the half with a team-best nine points, connecting on three from behind the arc.

The Bulldogs used short runs to chip away at the deficit, finally going on their own 10-2 run sparked by a steal by Birrell who found Parzych on the break as the sophomore guard was able to finish a lay-in while getting fouled, swinging momentum in the Bryant's favor. The run concluded with a left-wing trey from Birrell, giving the black and gold a slim 30-29 advantage with 3:57 remaining.

The Hawks responded with a three of their own from Alex Nunner to reclaim the advantage. But it would be all Bulldogs down the stretch, as this time Parzych grabbed a steal, finding Birrell in the middle of the floor who threaded a pass to Pete Lambert (Cumberland, R.I. / Cumberland) for the hoop plus the harm, as Bryant took the lead for good at 35-32 at the 1:31 mark of the first half. Lambert finished the game with 10.

Parzych and Lambert finished the half draining back-to-back three's to send the visitors into the locker room with a seven point edge.

The second half was all Gresham, as he scored 20 points in the frame including 10 of the first 12 Bryant points. The junior was 8-for-10 in the second half, helping Bryant to a season-best 60 percent shooting in the second half alone, and 52.8 percent for the game.

After the Hawks came as close as four following a three-point play from leading scorer Travis Taylor, Bryant responded with an 8-0 run on two Gresham three's and a two baseline jumper from Jerrann Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio / Dater), taking the biggest lead for either side in the contest at 51-39 with 14:56 to go.

The two sides exchanged baskets over the next several minutes, as Monmouth would come as close as eight after another three from Nunner at the 9:49 mark. Gresham responded with a tough fade-away jumper off the glass on the next possession, pushing the lead back to double-digits at 59-49. A two by the junior later in the half would give Bryant its biggest lead of the game, taking a 72-57 advantage with just 3:35 remaining in the contest.

The Bulldogs used solid free-throw shooting down the stretch to put the game on ice, going 15-20 from the charity stripe in the second half and 19-24 in the game, helping Bryant to easily its best offensive game of the season.

"Our offense is showing a really good flow and (Adam) Parzych has been a big reason why," said head coach Tim O'Shea. "He wasn't playing much but he kept with it and now has scored 17 last game and 21 this game. He's really helped us with our offensive flow."

The Bulldogs have shown much improvement throughout the season, and earned their first set of back-to-back Division I wins with the road victory tonight, while also improving to 5-4 against Northeast Conference opponents.

"I'm very proud of this group of kids. They've really shown improvement throughout the season and to go on the road at any level and win back-to-back games is very difficult. You can see the confidence growing in the kids."

Monmouth shot 45.8 percent for the game, but just 34.3 in the second half, as Mike Myers Keitt led the offense with 23 points. Taylor was held to 12 points while Nunner ended with 10 and Campbell also had 12.

Bryant plays its final game of this four-game road trip in search of their third-straight win on Saturday afternoon when they head to Hamden, Conn. to take on Quinnipiac for the second meeting between the teams this season. The Bulldogs won their first Division I game against the Bobcats, 59-50, back on November 22^nd.