The Archway

Issue date: 12/4/09 Section: Sports

Despite a season-high 20 points from senior captain Chris Birrell, the Bryant University men's basketball team dropped its sixth-straight contest, 64-58. (Courtesy of Bryant Athletics)

The Bulldogs severely threatened Army's five-game winning streak, but despite a season-high 20 points from senior captain Chris Birrell, the Bryant University men's basketball team dropped its sixth-straight contest, 64-58

Birrell was the only Bulldog to score double-digit points and his game-high 20 came off 6-of-11 shooting, all of it coming beyond the arc. The guard hit his career-best sixth 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining in the game to bring the score to 61-58, but it would be Bryant's last point in the loss. Junior Barry Latham paced both teams on the glass, pulling down a contest-best 10 rebounds, while sophomore Papa Lo posted four blocks to lead the game. Senior Adam Parzych dished out a game-high six assists on the day.

The Bulldogs (0-6) got off to their most confident start yet, winning the opening tip and taking a quick 8-3 lead. The first five minutes of the contest saw Bryant knock down a quartet of 3-pointers, including the first career trey for rookie Claybrin McMath (Adelaide, Australia) in 14 tries.

Bryant would hit four more from long distance in the frame, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine) and Parzych - the latter coming from a long way beyond the arc - that would allow the visitors to take their biggest lead of the night, 24-16, with 7:26 to play. And while their lead grew, the Bulldogs froze the Army side at 16 points for more than three minutes.

But the Black Knights (5-1) would tie it up, 26-26, with 5:32 to go in the frame and the teams would trade leads over the next five minutes. Army took its first lead of the night during the span, 28-26, but Bryant's Raphael Jordan would quickly retie the game. The freshman would go 6-for-6 from the line on the day.

The first of two-consecutive Birrell treys gave the Bulldogs a three-point advantage with just over 2:30 to play, but back-to-back buckets from the Black Knight ranks earned the home side the 32-31 lead with 48 seconds remaining.

Birrell sunk another from 3-point land with just seven seconds on the clock to give Bryant a two-point, 34-32 edge - a score that nearly went to intermission before a controversial foul called on Jordan with a tenth of a second remaining sent Josh Miller to the line to shoot three.

Continued...

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