SMITHFIELD, R.I. –
Keegan Harvey scored 15 of his game-high 20 points over the final 11 minutes to lift the Bryant men's basketball team to an 80-75 victory over defending Metro champion Siena in front of a raucous Opening Night crowd at the Chace Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bulldogs are 1-0 and pick up their first season-opening victory against a Division I opponent in DI program history. Bryant will face Quinnipiac on Thursday night in the first game of the America East-Metro Challenge. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m. in Hamden, Conn.
Bryant trailed by as many as 11 late in the first half and by five with under 14 minutes remaining when
Duane Thompson and
Roi Behar hit back-to-back threes to give Bryant a 50-49 lead. Harvey took over after that, scoring 15 of Bryant's final 30 points, including a decisive three with 4:14 left.
Harvey finished with a double-double of 20 points (7-12 FG, 3-6 3pFG) and 12 rebounds, while Thompson (14 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl) and Behar (13 pts, 3 ast) combined for 27 points off the bench.
Onyx Nnani added 13 and seven.
Game Information
Bryant 80, Siena 75
Records: Bryant 1-0| Siena 0-1
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Attendance: 1,123
Key Moments
- Thompson and Behar swished back-to-back threes to give Bryant its first lead since the opening minutes with 12:46 to play.
- Moments later, Harvey drilled a three from the center logo to make it 53-51. His third and final three of the night made it a seven-point game with 2:00 left.
How it Happened
- Andre Pasha asserted himself with two early blocks, with his second setting up a run out for Elijah Hayeems and the first points of the season.
- The Saints would grab a 7-4 lead before Bryant rattled off four-straight to take it back at the 15:27 mark.
- Nnani's first three as a Bulldog gave Bryant an 11-9 lead but the Saints would go on a 12-1 run to take a 21-12 lead with 12:34 left in the opening half.
- The Saints would push their lead to 35-24 on a Pace Posser three with 5:21 remaining.
- Thompson followed with a two-handed slam that ignited a 13-6 run for the Bulldogs over the remainder of the half.
- Thompson capped the run with an offensive putback with just 2.7 seconds remaining, making it 41-37 at the break.
- Hayeems got the second half started with a bang as he charged the lane and rattled home a one-handed slam.
- Connor Lyons entered the game with 13:44 remaining and made an immediate impact. He got his man in the air before setting up Thompson for a corner three. After a Siena miss, Lyons found an open Behar for another triple to make it 50-49 with 12:46 left.
- Bryant had been just 4-of-24 from three prior to the two triples but made 6-of-11 to close out the game.
- Siena retook the lead on its next possession but Harvey sent the Chace into an uproar, hitting a three from the center logo to make it 53-51.
- Harvey then made a big rejection at the rim to setup a fastbreak three from Behar, giving Bryant a 58-53 lead with 8:37 to go.
- Siena would keep it close and pulled within one, 64-63, thanks to five consecutive points from Tim Ibukunouwa.
- Harvey, however, had an answer, drilling a wing three off a perfect kickout from Ty Tabales to make it 67-63 with 4:14 remaining.
- Harvey's third and final three of the night came with 2:00 left and gave the Black and Gold a seven-point edge.
- The Saints would pull within three late but Nnani sealed the game with a pair of free throws with six seconds left.
Stats
- Bryant finished the game 26-of-65 (40.0 percent) from the field, 10-of-35 (28.6 percent) from three and 18-of-25 (72.0 percent) from the line.
- The Bulldogs held a 47-41 edge on the glass.
- Bryant had 27 bench points and turned Siena over 15 times.
- Harvey finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from three. He added 12 rebounds for a double-double. Harvey also had two assists and two blocks.
- Thompson posted 14 points (4-of-10 FG, 2-4 3pFG), five rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
- Behar chipped in 13 points (3-6 3pFG) and three assists in 24 minutes off the bench.
- Hayeems added eight points, five rebounds and two assists.
- Tabales chipped in eight points, five rebounds and five assists.
- Nnani posted 13 points and seven boards.
- Ibukunoluwa led Siena with 20 points and 14 boards, while Prosser and Egbiremolen each had 15.
- Siena finished just 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) from three in the game. They were 1-of-11 in the second half.
Game Notes
- Bryant is now 2-4 all-time against Siena. It marked Bryant's first victory over Siena at the Chace Athletic Center.
- Monday's win was Bryant's first season-opening victory over a DI opponent since moving to DI in 2008-09. The Bulldogs had been 0-15 against DI opponents on Opening Night.
- Monday's game also marked the first of five against Metro opponents this season. All five schools were picked in the top six of the preseason poll.
- Bryant is now 65-17 at home since the start of the 2020-21 season.
- Harvey has now recorded three-straight 20-point games dating back to last season. He has seven in his career.
- Harvey recorded his fourth-career double-double, setting a career high with his 12 rebounds.
- Duane Thompson, Roi Behar, Andre Pasha, Onyx Nnani, Elijah Hayeems, Elijah Crispin and Connor Lyons all made their Bryant debuts on Monday.
- Thompson's 14 points were two shy of his career high.
- Thompson and Behar combined for 27 bench points and didn't turn the ball over in a combined 50 minutes off the bench.
- Tabales matched his career high with five rebounds.
Up Next
Bryant travels to Hamden, Conn., on Thursday to take on Quinnipiac in the first game of the America East-Metro Challenge. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.
