McLaughlin saves day as Bryant holds off St. Francis of N.Y.
Bulldogs return from successful three-game road trip with win at Chase Athletic Center
SMITHFIELD – Shane McLaughlin couldn’t have picked a better time to deliver his second basket of the contest.
A senior on a Bryant team featuring two rising stars in sophomore Hunter Ware and freshman Marcel Pettway, McLaughlin scored one for the old guard last night at the Chace Athletic Center. His turnaround jumper with 1.4 seconds left proved to be the difference as the Bulldogs held off St. Francis (N.Y.), 61-59.
Needing to get one final defensive top, the Bulldogs got it when Dan Garvin got a hand on the in-bounds pass with five-tenths of a second remaining. St. Francis tried to advance the ball to midcourt and call for a timeout, but the officials said the Terriers signaled for time too quickly.
Told to once again inbound the ball underneath the Bryant hoop, St. Francis didn’t even come close to getting off a shot thanks to Garvin, who posted 10 points and six rebounds despite battling foul trouble for much of the way.
McLaughlin finished with four points on 2-of-6 shooting. While his clutch hoop sent the 432 fans home happy, it was ability to control the Bulldogs’ attack that proved just as important. Playing 38 minutes, McLaughlin passed for seven assists while committing just three turnovers.
“The play was definitely to get the ball in my hands, but we wanted to get a ball screen with Marcel and give me a couple of options with some shooters,” said McLaughlin. “Basically it was come off the ball screen and make a read. I was having a tough night and looking to pass the ball, but we got caught up. In end, you have to make something.”
What made the victory even sweeter is that the Bulldogs dug deep and responded after finding themselves down to the reigning NEC champions by six (55-49) with 4:35 remaining.
Bryant drew even at 57-57 when Nisre Zouzoua picked off a pass and raced in for an uncontested layup. A missed jumper by St. Francis resulted in a possession that ended with Gravin making two free throws that put Bryant up 5957 with 1:26 left.
The Terriers unraveled once again as Antonio Jenifer fired a pass that ended up in his team’s bench. The Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize as Garvin turned the ball over and then failed to come up with a defensive rebound. A secondchance basket by Chris Hooper tied the game at 59-59 with 24 seconds left.
It was then McLaughlin’s time to shine. The point guard calmly dribbled the ball to the right elbow before gently fading backwards in an effort to create some separation. Needless to say, his judgment ended up worked in Bryant’s favor.
Ware led the Bulldogs with 14 points while hitting 4-of6 from 3-point range. Pettway posted 12 points and was a terror on the glass with 12 rebounds while Zouzoua had 10 points. St. Francis senior Tyreek Jewell led all scorers with 20 points.
Bryant has now won five of its last six, though the road to victory number five was hardly easy. The Bulldogs rebounded from a 29-percent shooting effort in the first half to connect at a 50-percent clip in the latter half.