Clarke Scores Career High 23 Points And Grabs Nine Rebounds, Smith Adds 10 Points As Men's Basketball Drops 70-55 Northeast-10 Decision At Bryant

January 13, 2007

STONEHILL MEN'S BASKETBALL

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Chace Athletic Center, Smithfield, R.I.

FINAL: BRYANT 70, STONEHILL 55

SMITHFIELD, R.I.-- Senior Chris Burns (Merrimack, N.H.) tied his career-high with 31 points, including 21 in the second half, and connected for eight three-pointers in leading Bryant to a 70-55 Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball victory over Stonehill Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

Burns, who also scored 31 points just two days ago in a win over Pace, helped the host Bulldogs (11-5, 9-4 Northeast-10) extend their winning streak to five straight and post their first triumph over the visiting Skyhawks (12-5, 7-5 Northeast-10) in seven meetings dating back to November 2003. Bryant jumped out to a 10-point first half advantage before settling for a 28-23 lead at the break, and the hosts opened the final 20 minutes of play with an 11-4 run to take a 12-point edge (39-27) on a Burns three-pointer with 16:36 remaining. Stonehill cut its deficit back to seven points on a conventional three-point play by sophomore Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va.) with 14:32 to play, but the Bulldogs scored the game's next 13 points to open up a 20-point advantage at 55-35 on another Burns trey with 11:18 remaining, as the Skyhawks got no closer than 11 points in the final minutes.

Senior Nathaniel Sudlow (Brooklyn, N.Y.) joined Burns in double figures with 11 points in the win for Bryant, which also received eight points each from senior Dan Hammond (Brunswick, Maine) and junior Jon Ezeokoli (South Orange, N.J.) as well as seven rebounds from freshman Cecil Gresham (Bloomfield, Conn.), as the Bulldogs shot 49 percent from the field overall and connected for 11 three-pointers while holding a 35-32 rebounding edge and taking advantage of 19 Skyhawk turnovers.

Senior Lance Clarke (Cambridge, Mass.) paced Stonehill in the scoring column with a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) added 10 points for the visitors, who also received eight points from freshman AJ Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.), seven rebounds from sophomore Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) and six points and six boards from Scanlon. The Skyhawks shot just 34 percent from the field, including 24 percent from behind the arc, while holding a 19-9 scoring advantage from the foul line for the contest.

Stonehill travels to Springfield, Mass. on Wednesday evening to take on American International in a Northeast-10 outing that tips-off at 7:30 p.m., while Bryant heads to Manchester, N.H. on Wednesday night to square off with Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 match-up that also begins at 7:30 p.m.