Bulldogs fall
Townes, Kostur have big games in NEC loss
The Bryant University men’s basketball team drops to 1-14 after an OT defeat Sunday.
SMITHFIELD – For the second straight Northeast Conference contest, Bryant put itself in position to snap a long losing streak. But for the second time in as many games at the Chace Athletic Center, the Bulldogs’ opposition made the right plays down the stretch to earn an important conference road win.
Two days after Robert Morris turned around a five-point deficit with 11 minutes,
30 seconds left in the contest, preseason NEC favorite Saint Francis trailed the Bulldogs by six points following a Bosko Kostur jumper with 3:44 left in regulation.
The Red Flash, thanks to the play of reigning NEC Rookie of the Year Keith Braxton and Jamaal King, erased the deficit and would’ve won the game in regulation if not for a 3-pointer by Bryant sophomore Adam Grant with 11 seconds left in regulation.
Saint Francis dominated the overtime session, as King scored four of his game-high 29 points to lead the Red Flash to an 86-82 victory Sunday afternoon.
“We just came up a little short,” Bryant coach Tim O’Shea said. “They did shoot the lights out. It was one of those games where it could’ve gone either way with a shot here or a shot there. I think you just have to do it and close out a game to build some confidence.”
“We just need AG [Grant] to get healthy and get back to where he was and we need Ikenna Ndugba to be more confident with his shot,” forward Sabastian Townes said. “I just keep telling those guys to keep shooting because they’re going to hit those shots. Once that happens and we get more ball movement we’ll be fine.”
“That’s the main thing,” Ndugba said. “Adam’s been out and in the past four games I haven’t been in a rhythm. Once that happens, it will make everything a lot easier for the team.”
Bryant (1-13, 0-2 NEC) has now lost nine straight games, but you can’t blame Sunday’s defeat on offense. The Bulldogs shot 45.8 percent from the field and had 24 assists against just 13 turnovers. Ndugba had 12 of those assists to go along with nine rebounds and seven points.
Kostur came off the bench to produce a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Townes scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half.
Defensively, however, the Bulldogs continue to struggle. After holding Saint Francis to just 36.7 percent shooting from the field in the first half, the Bulldogs allowed their visitors to make 70.4 percent of their shots in the second half, including six three 3-pointers on eight attempts.
“I’ve been reluctant to play zone this year because we’re small,” O’Shea said. “I think they shoot the ball really well and that’s what they’re known for. People say Braxton might be the best player in the league and he has a funny shot and he hit some big 3s. Those weren’t easy 3s he was hitting against us.”
Saint Francis (7-6, 1-1 NEC) was an efficient 12-for-22 from the 3-point line, with Braxton making five of them to finish with a game-high 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Andre Wolford made four 3-pointers and added 18 points.
Bryant came into the game as one of the worst rebounding teams in the country with a negative 12.1 margin, but they didn’t allow a second-chance bucket in the first half to grab a seven-point lead.
Even though Saint Francis started making shots in the second half, the Bulldogs maintained a seven-point advantage thanks to Townes, who had nine points in the first 3:06 of the half.
“I don’t get a lot of touches in the first half because everyone wants to get a feel for the ball, so it doesn’t come in that much,” Townes said. “I don’t complain about it as long as everyone puts up good shots. In the second half coach always said to get inside touches and play inside-out.”
Saint Francis went on a 7-0 run to tie the game, but the Bulldogs rebuilt their comfortable margin, as Kostur scored 13 points in 9:23 to put the Bulldogs up 74-68 with 3:44 remaining.
The Bulldogs didn’t score over the next 3:33, as SFU went on a 9-0 run to grab a three-point lead before Grant sent the game into overtime with a 29foot 3-pointer from the left wing.
Townes gave Bryant the lead in overtime, but Saint Francis produced another big run, this time a 7-0 skein to put the game away.
“Our talk when we go down on the far end [away from the Bryant bench] in the second half effects how we play,” Ndugba said. “In the first half the coaches are right on the sideline and I think that effects us. We need to talk more. In the second half [and overtime] there was some in-between space and they took advantage of it.”
Bryant begins a two-game road trip Thursday night against Mount St. Mary’s.