GAME NOTES
SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University men's basketball team looks to extend its first winning streak of the season to four games Saturday afternoon on the road against Northeast Conference and regional foe Central Connecticut. The 3:30 p.m. tipoff can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com and heard on WOON 1240 AM.
THE SERIES
Saturday marks the 25th meeting between the Bulldogs and the Blue Devils, with Central Connecticut holding a 13-11 advantage in the all-time series. Bryant enters the weekend showdown riding a four-game win streak against CCSU, sweeping the season series over the last two campaigns. The Bulldogs trail the Blue Devils at Detrick Gym, however, 7-5 all-time and 3-2 at the Division I level.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Behind the league's leading scorer in Matt Mobley (17.7 ppg), Central Connecticut will be looking for its first NEC victory of the season Saturday against the Black and Gold. Faronte Drakeford (12.0 ppg) also averages double figures for the Blue Devils, while Khalen Cumberlander (9.9) is right behind. Brandon Peel is the team's top rebounder at 8.7 boards each time out, complimenting his performance on the glass with 9.0 points per contest and a team-leading .486 shooting clip from the floor. As a unit, the Blue Devils average less than 60 points per game (58.6) but allow only 62 to opponents while holding competition to 41.6 percent shooting.
CURRENT BULLDOGS vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT
Only five current Bulldogs have seen action against the Blue Devils in their careers, with all five facing off against CCSU more than once. Senior sharpshooter Dyami Starks averages 15.7 points per game in three career outings against the Blue Devils, converting a shade over 40 percent of his lifetime shots (17-42) but with just a 6-of-21 mark from long range. Senior guard Joe O'Shea averages 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with 45 percent shooting (17-38) over four contests, while juniors Shane McLaughlin (4.5 ppg) and Curtis Oakley as well as sophomore forward Dan Garvin (8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) have also matched up against CCSU on multiple occasions. Current Bulldogs are shooting a lifetime .414 (48-116) from the field, .308 (16-52) from 3-point land and .735 (25-34) from the free throw line against the Blue Devils.
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
The Bulldogs are 4-1 against the Northeast Conference in 2014-15 with a 35-57 record (.380) against current NEC members since joining the Division I ranks. All-time against current conference institutions, the Bulldog basketball program is 49-74 (.398). Entering Friday action, Bryant currently sits alone in first place in the league standings.
GOING STREAKING
With Thursday night's 81-73 win over Wagner, the Bulldogs not only evened their overall record at 7-7, but secured their first winning streak of the season. Now the winners of three straight, the Black and Gold have been surging in a big way as of late, having won four of their last five contests in 2015 and six of their last eight dating back to Dec. 9.
REGULAR JOE
Senior Joe O'Shea has been on fire for the Bulldogs over the last six contests, averaging a team-leading 16.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting over 53 percent from the floor (32-60) and going 28-for-33 from the line. The guard has registered double-digit points five times, surpassing 20 points in a game for just the second time in his career Jan. 8 against Saint Francis U. (career-high 21). He has recorded 19 points twice in the span, including hitting the mark in Thursday night's 81-73 win over Wagner, and pulled in a game-best 10 rebounds on Jan. 5 to tie his career high while also recording the first double-digit rebounding game for any Bryant player this season. On the year, O'Shea averages 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and enters Saturday action averaging 16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in NEC play.
SHOOTING STAR-KS
Senior co-captain and leading scorer Dyami Starks snapped out of five-game scoring "slump" in a big way Thursday night, scoring a team-best and season-high 26 points in the Bulldogs' 81-73 victory over Wagner. The guard, who averaged 11.8 points per game and was limited to single digits twice from Dec. 31 through Jan. 10 (5 games), lifted his season scoring mark to 17.4 points per game with Thursday's burst and currently ranks second in the NEC in scoring. Starks enters Saturday's matchup ranked 17th in the national rankings for threes per game (3.14, 1st in NEC). The Duluth, Minn., native also ranks 20th in minutes per game (36:38, 2nd in NEC), 74th in free throw percentage (.841, 2nd in NEC), 77th in 3-point percentage (.370, 2nd in NEC) and 73rd in scoring average.
WINNING WITHOUT THE THREE
For just the third time this season, the Bulldogs converted fewer than five 3-pointers Thursday night against Wagner, but the abnormally low trey total didn't affect the Black and Gold, who simply got it done from inside the arc, including a 27-of-36 mark at the free throw line. Bryant started the game 1-for-10 from distance over the first 20 minutes but went 3-for-6 from long range in the second half.
OH DANNY BOY
Sophomore starting forward Dan Garvin recorded a host of new career highs last week en route to earning his first-career Northeast Conference weekly honor, including setting new personal bests for points scored in both of Bryant's wins. The reigning NEC Player of the Week averaged 15.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.5 steals for the Black and Gold in a pair of career performances, shooting 57.9 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line as Bryant moved to 3-1 in league play. Garvin netted a career-high 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds and three blocks in an 80-54 win over Saint Francis U. Jan. 8, but his most impressive showing was yet to come for the Bethel, Conn., native. In last Saturday's 73-60 victory over FDU, he established new career marks with 16 points, 18 rebounds and four steals in the first double-double effort of the year by a Bryant player. The 18 rebounds tied for the most in the NEC this year and marked the highest total by a Bulldog since Alex Francis ('14) recorded 18 at CCSU on January 12, 2013. Garvin is averaging 8.1 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game on the year.
SHOOTING PROFILE
Saturday's win over FDU marked the first time this season the Bulldogs have shot less than 40 percent from the field (.392) and come away with the victory. Bryant is now 1-6 when shooting below .400 but is 6-1 when converting at least 40 percent of its shots. The Black and Gold have shot 50 percent or better three times on the year (3-0), including posting a .510 mark in Thursday night's victory.
BRYANT HOOPS ON WOON RADIO
For the seventh season, all Bryant University basketball home games and select road contests can be heard LIVE on WOON 1240 AM. Veteran sportscaster Jon Wallach of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub Boston returns to call the action as the voice of the Bulldogs, alongside color analyst Tristan Hobbes.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs are back home at the Chace Athletic Center and will take a break from NEC play to host regional rival and non-conference foe Harvard Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday's tilt can be seen live and free-of-charge at NECFrontRow.com and heard on WOON 1240 AM.
