Dobbs' buzzer-beater sparks Bryant

Dobbs' buzzer-beater sparks Bryant

The Bulldogs have finally found their niche in the Northeast Conference.

Led by sophomore Frankie Dobbs, who scored a career-high 25 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining, the Bryant University men’s basketball team edged Fairleigh Dickinson, 74-71, Thursday at the Chace Athletic Center for its fourth consecutive win.

The Bulldogs (6-13, 4-3 NEC) shot 54.9 percent from the field -- the third time in four games they’ve shot 50 percent or better. Dobbs was the hottest of them all, shooting 7-of-10 from the field, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range. He scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, including the winning 3-pointer that capped a wild half in which the two teams battles through 12 ties and nine lead changes down the stretch.

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Since losing to Long Island on Jan. 6, the Bulldogs have won four in a row, including two at the buzzer -- the previous was Jan. 8 at home against St. Francis when Corey Maynard hit the game-winning three in the closing seconds to lift Bryant to its first official home win within the conference.

The Bulldogs led by as many as eight points in the second half before the Knights (5-13, 1-5 NEC) rallied to take the lead with 2:20 remaining. Bryant regained the lead and had a two-point advantage with 24 seconds to go before Mike Scott hit a pair of free throws to tie game. Dobbs hit his winning shot on the ensuing possession to extend Bryant’s win streak -- the longest such streak in the program’s brief Division I history.

Alex Francis chipped in with 16 points for the Bulldogs and Cecil Gresham added 13. Bryant will aim for its fifth consecutive win Saturday at home against Monmouth.