Bryant claims eighth NEC win, beats Monmouth
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Paced by senior guard Frankie Dobbs' 27 points, Bryant won its second game in New Jersey over three nights, beating Monmouth 77-62 Saturday night in West Long Branch, NJ.
Junior Alex Francis contributed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Corey Maynard added 10 points for the Bulldogs...who shot 49% from the floor and a solid 40% (8-20) from three-point range. Despite Jesse Steele getting 27 points for Monmouth, the Bryant defense held the Hawks to just 34% from the floor for the game.
Bryant led 33-24 at halftime, and despite Steele's efforts for the Hawks, the defense did not allow any other player to hit double figures...and outrebounded Monmouth 39-34. Dyami Starks and Vlad Kondratyev each added nine points for the Bulldogs, as they improve to 15-6 overall on the season, 8-2 (1st place) in the Northeast Conference. Monmouth drops to 8-15 for the year, 3-7 in the NEC. The eighth win for Bryant in league play is the most they have had in a single season within the NEC since joining Division I. The victory is also Bryant's eighth true road win of the season, as many in one year as the Bulldogs have managed in the previous four seasons combined...and one of the top road records in the nation.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe win is also the first for Bryant over Monmouth since the program's first ever game in the NEC, 83-72 on Feb. 5, 2009.
The Bulldogs head back to Smithfield, RI for the next two games and will welcome St. Francis (NY) to the Chace Athletic Center next Thursday night for a 7 pm tipoff that will air nationally on ESPN3 and Fox College Sports, and locally on Cox.
