Bryant drops 66-62 decision to ND State

Bryant drops 66-62 decision to ND State

It was close, but it wasn't quite enough to get over the top.

Despite a game-high 26 points from leading scorer Dyami Starks, the Bryant Bulldogs suffered their first home loss of the season, 66-62, to North Dakota State Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, RI.  It was the opening game of the BlackRock Gotham Classic for the Bulldogs.

Trailing by four at halftime, the Bison took the lead on a 9-2 run, including seven points from TrayVonn Wright (18 points overall to lead NDSU), to go up 54-47 with 4:05 remaining.

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Bryant (6-3) made a late charge and got within 61-60 with 31 seconds left. But five NDSU free throws down the stretch preserved the win.

North Dakota State held a 43-29 rebounding edge. Neither team shot particularly well from 3-point range but Bryant took 12 more attempts than NDSU, making just 6 of 23.  Alex Francis scored 15 and Corey Maynard 11 for the Bulldogs in the effort.  Bryant had a four-game winning streak snapped, while the Bison (6-3) now have a four-game winning streak.

The Bulldogs will travel to Notre Dame Monday for a 7:00 pm contest against the Irish, televised live on ESPNU. Bryant will then continue on to Columbus, OH, to match up against the 5th-ranked team in the nation in Ohio State, a game that can be seen live on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 pm.