ORONO, Maine – Ashley Sims II and Quincy Allen each recorded their first collegiate double-doubles to lead the Bryant men's basketball team to a 56-51 victory over Maine in the America East opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym.
 
With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 5-10 overall and 1-0 in league play. Bryant continues league play next Thursday (Jan. 8) when it hosts UMass Lowell at the Chace Athletic Center.
 
On Saturday, Bryant overcame a slow offensive start, built an 11-point second half lead but needed a 7-1 run over the final three minutes to hold off the Black Bears. Sims' layup with 2:58 left gave Bryant the lead back and Jakai Robinson hit a pair of clutch free throws to ice it.
 
Sims finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Allen added 12 points, 11 boards and two blocks. Ty Tabales chipped in 12 points, four assists and three steals, while Aaron Davis posted 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three.

Game Information
Bryant 56, Maine 51
Records: Bryant 5-10, 1-0 | Maine 2-14, 0-1
Location: Memorial Gym (Orono, Maine)
Attendance: 1,131

Key Moments

• Timofei Rudovskii grabbed an offensive rebound to keep the possession alive and Sims followed with a baseline bucket to give Bryant a 51-50 lead with 2:58 to go.

How it Happened

• It was a slow start for both teams as Bryant (5) and Maine (4) combined to turn the ball over nine times and go just 1-8 combined from the field in the first four minutes of the game.
• Maine scored the first points at the 16:25 mark on a transition three and held a 3-0 lead at the under-16.
• The Black Bears would hold Bryant scoreless for the first 5:30 of the game before a Sims basket inside lifted the lid.
• It would spark a 12-0 run for the Black and Gold, making it 12-6 at the 11:20 mark. Davis followed the Sims basket with a transition three and an offensive putback before Tabales canned three throws. Allen then sank a pull up from the free throw line to cap the 12-0 run.
• Bryant's defense continued its strong start, forcing nine turnovers and holding Maine to 4-of-15 shooting over the first 12 minutes.
• The Black and Gold would push their lead to 10, 23-13, at the under-4 media thanks to a beautiful backdoor bounce pass from Sims to Allen that ended with a rim-rattling slam from Allen.
• Bryant would take a 26-17 lead to the break.
• The Bulldogs, however, would turn the ball over on four its first five possessions in the second half as Maine cut the lead to 26-22 with 17:00 to play.
• Davis helped Bryant respond as he sank his third three of the afternoon, giving Bryant a 29-24 lead with 15:18 to play.
• Maine would cut it to one, 29-28, but Tabales pulled up for his first three of the game to push the lead back to four.
• Sims then took over, scoring the next five points to push Bryant's lead to seven. The first two came after Sims missed two free throws but Allen recovered the rebound and found Sims for a layup. Sims then found a lane and finished through contact for a three-point play.
• Allen made it an 11-point game with a steal and a thunderous Allen-esque slam on the other end.
• Bryant's lead would return to nine, 45-36, at the under-7 media thanks to an incredible effort from Allen. He raced to save his own miss, heaving it over his head to keep it alive. Allen then came back into play and putback a missed three with a thunderous right hand.
• The Black Bears wouldn't go away, answering with an 11-2 run to make it 47-45 with 5:09 to play.
• After a Bryant basket made it a four-point game again, the Black Bears scored the next five to take a 50-49 lead with 3:28 left. Carey's putback and one gave Maine the lead.
• The Bulldogs didn't falter, with Sims finishing a baseline pass from Allen to retake the lead, 51-50, with 2:58 left.
• Bryant then forced a pair of Maine turnovers and Tabales was able to finish with his left hand to make it 54-50 with 50.8 seconds left.
• Robinson then corralled the rebound of a missed three and sank two free throws with 36 seconds left to ice the victory.

Stats

• Bryant finished the game 20-of-60 (30.0 percent) from the field, 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) from three and 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the line.
• Bryant held a 46-42 edge on the glass.
• The Bulldogs turned the ball over 16 times and forced 15 Maine turnovers. Bryant blocked seven shots.
• Sims finished 5-of-12 from the field for 12 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
• Allen posted 12 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks.
• Tabales collected 12 points, four assists and three steals.
• Davis led Bryant with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three.
• Rudovksii was held to just three points but posted six boards and three blocks.
• TJ Biel led Maine with 20 points.

Game Notes

• Bryant is now 7-2 all-time vs Maine and has won each of the last six meetings.
• The Bulldogs have now won back-to-back games at Memorial Gym after losing each of their first two trips.
• Saturday marked Bryant's first road victory of the season.
• Sims' double-double was the first of his collegiate career.
• Sims finished in double figures for the fifth time this season.
• Allen also recorded his first career double-double.
• Allen recorded double-digit points for the 10th time this season.
• Tabales finished in double figures for the ninth time this year.
• Davis is now 18-of-36 from three over his last five games.
• Rudovskii set a career high with three blocks.

Up Next
Bryant plays its first America East game at the Chace Athletic Center next Thursday (Jan. 8), hosting UMass Lowell. Tip is set for 6:00 p.m.