Why is sweeping the season series vs. UNH so important for Bryant basketball?

SMITHFIELD — It’s not too early to cast a glance at some America East tiebreaker scenarios.

Bryant put a significant checkmark on its resumé on Saturday afternoon at Chace Center. The Bulldogs completed a two-game sweep of New Hampshire with a dominant second half, a result that could ultimately earn them an extra home game in March.

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Earl Timberlake came alive out of the locker room, joining forces with Antwan Walker and Charles Pride. That trio was too powerful for the Wildcats, who were blitzed early and never recovered in a 70-46 thrashing.

“We started the second half off about as well as you can play,” Bryant coach Jared Grasso said. “I challenged a couple of guys at halftime, and they responded.”

Bryant ripped off a 22-2 run over the opening 7:12, and the result was never in doubt from there. Walker finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Timberlake added 13 and 10 for one of his own. Those combined efforts helped carry the Bulldogs over the final 20 minutes after facing a 30-29 deficit at the break.

“We just wanted to take everything up a notch,” Pride said. “Prepare better, come out more physical — different things like that. I felt like everyone bought into the plan.”

Bryant (15-8, 6-4) played some of its best basketball of the season in a 5:41 stretch. Timberlake netted six of his club’s first eight points and Pride knocked in a 3-pointer from the right corner to make it a quick 44-32 advantage. New Hampshire called a timeout in an attempt to stop the onslaught but it had little effect.

Tyler Brelsford’s 3-pointer with 13:30 to play stretched the lead to 51-32, and the Wildcats were still searching for a first bucket since the 18:29 mark. Kyree Brown finally broke the drought with a 3-pointer from the right wing — he wound up leading the visitors with 14 points.

“We just basically made a point that we were here,” Walker said. “We’re here.”

Pride finished 8-for-11 from the field and moved into second place all-time in the program’s Division I history in rebounding. Timberlake did all of his scoring after halftime and grabbed seven of his boards. The Bulldogs finished with a 54-39 advantage on the glass and nearly doubled up the Wildcats on points in the paint at 38-20.

“I’m able to challenge them now, and it’s not, ‘Coach is getting on me,’ ” Grasso said. “It’s February. It’s winning time.”

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New Hampshire (11-11, 6-4) scraped to its halftime edge thanks to its 3-point shooting. The Wildcats hit the locker room 6-for-15 from deep — they were plus-nine from beyond the arc while Bryant dominated the paint. The Bulldogs posted a 10-0 shutout on second chances through the opening 20 minutes.

“I didn’t love their effort,” Grasso said. “I really challenged Earl at halftime. He had a different look in his eyes.”

Bryant and New Hampshire are now even in the league standings, but the Bulldogs will hold the head-to-head advantage going forward. Home games remain with leader Vermont and fellow contender UMass Lowell. Those will be prime chances for Bryant to earn splits in the season series. The Catamounts and River Hawks both thumped the Bulldogs in January matchups, and returning the favor could go a long way toward playing at least a conference semifinal on this floor.

“There’s so much parity right now,” Grasso said. “I could walk upstairs and look at the other scores and nothing would surprise me.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com 

On Twitter: @BillKoch25 

NEW HAMPSHIRE (46): Daniels 6-14 0-1 12, Tutic 1-2 0-0 2, Brown 5-16 1-1 14, Herasme 2-9 0-0 6, Johnson 1-13 1-2 4, Woodyard 1-5 0-0 3, Baker 1-6 0-0 3, Derry 0-1 0-0 0, Lopez 0-3 0-2 0, Sunderland 0-1 0-0 0, Willeman 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 18-73 2-6 46.

BRYANT (70): Walker 8-12 0-1 20, Brelsford 1-4 0-0 3, Gross-Bullock 2-9 0-0 4, Pride 8-11 2-2 19, Timberlake 5-9 3-3 13, Edert 1-3 0-0 3, Latimer 1-6 2-2 4, Cramer 1-6 2-4 4, Ozabor 0-0 0-0 0, Kiggins 0-1 0-0 0, Marshall 0-0 0-0 0, Shannon 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 27-62 9-12 70.

Halftime — New Hampshire 30-29. 3-point goals — New Hampshire 8-31 (Brown 3-8, Herasme 2-8, Baker 1-3, Johnson 1-5, Woodyard 1-5, Lopez 0-1, Moore 0-1); Bryant 7-19 (Walker 4-5, Brelsford 1-2, Edert 1-2, Pride 1-2, Latimer 0-1, Shannon 0-1, Cramer 0-2, Gross-Bullock 0-4). Rebounds — New Hampshire 32 (Daniels 10), Bryant 50 (Walker, Timberlake 10). Assists — New Hampshire 9 (Johnson 3), Bryant 10 (Brelsford 3). Total Fouls — New Hampshire 11, Bryant 10. Records — New Hampshire 11-11, Bryant 15-8. A — 1,405 (2,000).

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant's basketball victory over New Hampshire could have seeding implications