Men's Basketball Eliminated from NE-10 Tourney

BOX SCORE

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Chris Birrell and Jon Ezeokoli each totaled 17 points to lead seventh-seeded Bryant to a 65-57 win over No. 10 seed Southern New Hampshire University in the first round of the Northeast-10 men's basketball tournament Saturday afternoon at the Chace Center.  The Bulldogs, who improve to 17-11 overall, advance to face second-seeded Saint Rose Monday night.  The Penmen end their season at 12-16 overall.

Birrell and Ezeokoli were two of four Bryant players in double figures, as Jerrann Wright and Barry Latham each added 10 points. 

Sam Carey (Manchester, NH) closed out his SNHU career with 18 points and nine rebounds on 6-11 shooting.  In the process, he became the 17th player in SNHU history to reach the 1,500 point plateau as he finishes his career with 1,506 points, placing him 16th in school history.  Troy Bowen (Nashua, NH) totaled 12 points for the Penmen while Gerald Carter (Harlem, NY) added 11.

Bryant used a 13-2 run late in the first half to take a 31-18 lead with 3:14 left in the period on a three by Ezeokoli.  The Penmen would counter with a 14-4 run of their own, and a layup by Kelly Coder (Exeter, NH) with just under a minute to go cut the Bulldog lead to three, 35-32.  Birrell would knock down a three with eight seconds before intermission to give Bryant a 38-32 halftime advantage.

Southern New Hampshire would score the first nine points of the second half and a pair of free throws by Carey with 16:20 left gave the Penmen a 41-38 lead.  The two teams would trade the lead twice before a 7-0 spurt capped by a free throw by Fotis Lioutas (Thessaloniki, Greece) with 11:09 to go gave SNHU a 48-43 advantage.  The Bulldogs countered with nine unanswered points and a fast break layup by Exeokoli just inside the eight minute mark gave Bryant a 54-48 lead.

The guests scored the next six points to tie the game 54-54 with 4:58 left on a Lioutas basket, but Wright gave the Bulldogs a 56-54 lead on their next possession.  On the next Penmen trip, Carey would convert a conventional three-point play to give Southern New Hampshire a 57-56 lead with 3:56 to go.  However, the Penmen would be held scoreless the rest of the way as the hosts scored the game's final nine points to take the victory.

Southern New Hampshire shot 59% in the first half while Bryant shot 52%, but both teams went cold in the second half, with the Penmen 7-24 and Bryant 6-19.  SNHU held a 33-28 rebounding advantage, but committed 19 turnovers to Bryant's 12, and was just 13-21 at the free throw line as opposed to the hosts' 24-32 effort at the charity stripe.