SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant men's basketball team fell to Siena, 90-88, in an overtime thriller on Friday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Bryant falls to 1-1 on the year and will now hit the road for its next seven games beginning on Thurday, November 14 at Buffalo.

On Friday, Bryant led by six with under two minutes left but Siena hit back-to-back threes to tie the game and force it into overtime. The Bulldogs had one final crack at tying the game but a layup fell off the rim.

Rafael Pinzon netted 33 points on his birthday, while Earl Timberlake (11pts, 11reb) and Barry Evans (11pts, 10reb) each recorded double-doubles. Connor Withers added 12 points, five assists, two steals and four blocks.

Game Information
Siena 90, Bryant 88
Records: Bryant 1-1 | Siena 2-0
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 730

Key Moments

• Siena hit back-to-back threes with under two minutes left to erase a six-point Bryant lead.
• Justice Shoats broke a tie in OT with two free throws with 18 seconds left.

How it Happened

• Pinzon got his birthday celebration going early as he swished a deep three from in front of the Siena bench for the first points of the night.
• Evans would add a three and Keyshawn Mitchell collected a putback slam to give the Black and Gold a 10-5 lead at the first media.
• Back-to-back threes from Withers and Pinzon pushed Bryant's lead to 10, 18-8, at the 13:53 mark of the first half.
• Bryant's frenetic play then forced a Siena timeout with 12:22 left. Evans grabbed the miss and hit Kam Farris for the outlet. Farris then hit a streaking Pinzon for the layup and a 22-11 lead.
• Siena had an answer out of the timeout, cutting Bryant's lead to six, 24-18, with a 7-2 run. Justice Shoats capped the run with a three from the top.
• The Saints then canned four consecutive free throws to cut Bryant's lead to 28-25 at the under-8 media.
• Bryant pushed its lead back to eight as Pinzon kicked out to an opener Withers for a wing three at the 6:30 mark.
• Siena wouldn't go away as Major Freeman sank a three from the top to make it a two-point game, 36-34, at the under-4 media.
• Freeman then canned two free throws out of the media to tie the game at 36-36.
• Freeman would hit a three to give the Saints a brief lead but Pinzon answerd with a three of his own, reaching 20 first-half points.
• Evans intercepted a pass at midcourt and flushed it before Pinzon hit nothing but nylon for a deep three from the wing (46-41).
• Farris and Evans then brought the Chace to its feet as Farris intercepted a pass at midcourt before feeding Evans for the alley-oop.
• Siena would get the final bucket of the half on a putback with one second remaining but the Bulldogs still took a 48-43 lead to the break.
• The second half started disjointed as the teams combined for 11 fouls in the first four minutes. Bryant held a 54-50 lead at the under-16.
• Siena would clip Bryant's lead to one on multiple occasions before Pinzon swished his fifth three of the night to make it 63-59 with 13:00 to go.
• Shoats kept Siena close, converting a three-point play with 9:15 left to trim Bryant's lead to 69-68.
• Withers had a big answer for Bryant, drilling a three from the wing to replenish Bryant's four-point edge, 72-68, at the under-8 media.
• Bryant forced a Siena timeout as Jakai Robinson ripped the ball away defensively and Withers fed Evans for an alley-oop to give Bryant a 76-68 lead.
• The Bulldogs lead remained at six until Freeman and Coyle hit back-to-back threes to tie the game at 81-81 with 1:42 left.
• It remained tied at 81-81 after the Bulldogs turned it over on consecutive possessions. Freeman then drove to the basket and had his shot blocked by Withers. The officials called goaltending initially but official review overturned the call.
• Siena had grabbed the rebound and got the ball with four seconds on the shot clock. An offensive rebound extended the possession for the Saints. Withers then rejected Shoats and Kvonn Cramer grabbed a rebound to give Bryant possession with under 10 seconds to play.
• Pinzon's leaner at the horn was short and sent the game to overtime.
• Cramer opened the overtime with a three-point play but the Saints answered with the next five, as Coyle gave Siena an 86-84 lead with a three from the wing.
• Siena had possession up four with a minute to play but Evans jumped a pass and flushed it on the other end to make it a two-point game.
• Bryant got a stop on the next possession and Robinson was fouled and sank two free throws to tie the game at 88-88 with 18.1 seconds left.
• A foul on the inbounds led to a pair of Shoats free throws to give Siena a 90-88 lead with 12.8 seconds left.
• Bryant's final shot fell off the rim and gave the Saints the victory.

Stats

• Bryant finished 26-of-58 (44.8 percent) from the field, 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from three and 27-of-37 (73.0 percent) from the line.
• Bryant held a slim 42-39 advantage on the glass and also blocked nine shots.
• The Bulldogs turned the ball over 23 times.
• Pinzon led all scorers with 33 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He was 5-of-9 from three and 10-of-12 from the stripe. Pinzon added five rebounds and four assists.
• Timberlake notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
• Evans also recorded a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 boards. He added a team-high three steals.
• Withers chipped in 12 points, three boards, five assists, two steals and four blocks.
• Cramer, Farris and Robinson combined for 19 points off the bench.

Game Notes

• Bryant falls to 1-3 all-time vs Siena. The Bulldogs have lost all three meetings in Smithfield.
• Bryant was 19-0 last season when leading with less than two minutes left. On Friday, the Bulldogs led by 81-78 with under two to play.
• Pinzon recorded his 31^st career double-digit scoring effort, his eighth 20-point effort and his second 30-point scoring outing.
• Timberlake notched his 55th career double-digit scoring effort and his 22^nd career double-double. He has posted a double-double in each of the first two games.
• Withers finished in double figures for the 39^th time in his collegiate career.
• Withers also matched his career high in blocks.
• Evans notched his first-career double-double.

Up Next
Bryant now heads on the road for its next seven games. The Bulldogs begin the stretch on Nov. 14 at Buffalo.