Dartmouth Undone by Bryant's Three-Point Shooting, 62-60

Thursday, December 31

Hanover, N.H.

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

4-7

Bryant

3-10

Bryant

Dartmouth

Dartmouth Undone by Bryant's Three-Point Shooting, 62-60

12/31/2015 3:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. — Shane McLaughlin provided his own New Year's Eve fireworks by exploding for a career-high 26 points to lift visiting Bryant to a 62-60 victory over Dartmouth on Thursday afternoon at Leede Arena. The senior connected on 10-of-14 field goals and all four of his three-pointers to help the Bulldogs (3-10) end a nine-game skid.

Freshman Evan Boudreaux recorded his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Big Green (4-7), while sophomore Miles Wright matched his point total for team-high honors as each player sank 7-of-15 shots from the floor.

McLaughlin's long-range accuracy caught on with the rest of the Bryant squad, which went 10-of-18 (.556) behind the arc after entering the game hitting less than 30 percent from downtown. And with two of the Bulldogs' three leading scorers — Hunter Ware and Dan Garvin — limited to a total of seven points due to foul trouble, the senior stepped up his game to pull out the win.

The game featured 11 ties and 12 lead changes, and Bryant never led by more than five points at any time throughout the afternoon. The final tie of the game came with 2:16 to play when senior Malik Gill canned the second of two foul shots for the Big Green, knotting the score at 57.

On Bryant's ensuing possession, Garvin made his presence known by grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on the putback while getting fouled. Although he missed the free throw, the Bulldog defense forced a shot-clock violation and regained possession. McLaughlin put the time to good use, waiting until the final few seconds to hit a step-back 16-footer for a 61-57 advantage with 44 seconds to play.

Dartmouth responded quickly as Gill penetrated and dished to Boudreaux for a three-point play, cutting the deficit to one with 33.9 seconds on the clock. McLaughlin was fouled while bringing the ball up the floor, and he managed to hit just the first of two foul shots, leaving the door open for the Big Green to either tie or win the game.

But Dartmouth could not get the shot it wanted in the waning seconds, and Gill fired up a 28-footer for the win, only to have it bounce off the front iron. Twice Big Green players got a hand on the rebound, batting it back toward the rim, but neither instance produced a basket and time ran out with Bryant holding on for the victory.

Dartmouth hurt itself at the foul line, converting just 3-of-9 on the day, and struggled from long range as well, hitting 5-of-20 three-point attempts. Inside the arc, however, the Big Green hit 56.8 percent (21-of-37) to finish the game shooting 45.6 percent overall (26-of-57).

Bryant sizzled from deep thanks to McLaughlin and Nisre Zouzoua, who scored 13 points and hit 3-of-5 three-pointers. The Bulldogs practically matched Dartmouth by hitting 45.1 percent (23-of-51) of its shots, plus converted 6-of-10 at the charity stripe, just enough to fend off the hosts.

The game began with a series of runs as Bryant jumped out to a 7-2 lead before the Big Green tallied 13 straight points for the largest lead of the day at 15-7. McLaughlin hit consecutive triples after that, and neither side led by more than five the rest of the way. Zouzoua canned a trifecta before the end of the half, knotting the game at 29 at the intermission. Of the Bulldogs' 29 points, 21 came on three-pointers as they rained down 7-of-11 from distance.

Midway through the second half, the two teams were still tied at 44 when Boudreaux laid one in off a quick pass from senior Brandon McDonnell. McLaughlin answered with a step-back jumper, only to have Wright hit a floater in the lane for a 48-46 Big Green lead.

After Zouzoua scored the next four points, senior Connor Boehm scored on the break and was fouled, but could not convert the free throw, leaving the score tied at 50 with just over six minutes to go. McLaughlin struck again, draining his fourth triple before hitting a short jumper in the lane for a five-point lead.

Dartmouth battled back again as Gill and freshman Guilien Smith canned three-pointers to reclaim the lead at 56-55 with 3:30 on the clock. McLaughlin made sure that lead was short-lived by driving for a tough layup after running into a teammate. That set the stage for Garvin's big putback and the final two minutes of action.

Bryant finished the game with 38 rebounds compared to just 30 for the Big Green to outrebound an opponent for the first time all year. The second half the disparity was even more pronounced at 23-11 for the Bulldogs.

Dartmouth was effective with the ball, turning it over a season-low eight times while distributing 17 assists on its 26 baskets. The Big Green also outscored Bryant off of turnovers, 19-8, and in the paint, 32-20. But those 10 three-pointers proved too much to overcome.

Next up for the Big Green is their final road non-conference game of the season when they travel to Fairfield on Monday, Jan. 4 for 7 p.m. tip. Bryant returns home to start Northeast Conference play by hosting Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 4 p.m.

Notes: This is the second straight year these two teams have met on New Year's Eve with each team winning on the other's court. Dartmouth beat the Bulldogs last year in Smithville, 76-59 ... Bryant now leads in the overall series, 3-2.