Bryant University Press Release UNCASVILLE, Conn. – A shot at the buzzer was short as the Bryant men’s basketball team dropped a thriller, 86-84, to Fordham on Saturday afternoon in the Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena. With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 6-7 overall on the year. Bryant will have over a week off before returning to the court on Dec. 22 at Towson. On Saturday, Bryant battled back from 18 points down in the first half to take a one-point lead with under 20 seconds to play. Fordham’s Josh Rivera, however, hit a heavily contested three from the top to give the Rams an 86-84 lead with 6.8 seconds left. Bryant would get a great look at the other end but Barry Evans’ three-point attempt was short. Kvonn Cramer led the Black and Gold with a career-high 23 points, while Earl Timberlake finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Evans added 10 points and nine rebounds as he and Timberlake both played the full 40 minutes. Game Information Fordham 86, Bryant 84 Records: Bryant 6-7 | Fordham 7-5 Location: Mohegan Sun Arena (Uncasville, Conn.) Attendance: 2145 Key Moments Fordham’s Rivera hit a three with 6.8 seconds left to give the Rams the lead and victory. How it Happened Fordham won the tip and built an early 6-2 lead before back-to-back baskets from Robinson and Evans sent the game to the first media tied at 6-6. The Rams would take a 13-12 lead the under-12 media. Cramer and Robinson combined for eight of Bryant’s first 12 points. Fordham built an 11-point edge, 26-15, thanks to a 13-0 run over a 2:42. The run started with three-straight threes and forced Bryant to call time with 7:29 left. The Rams pushed the lead to 18, 38-20, with 3:48 left as Bryant was forced to call time. Jackie Johnson III was the spark for the Rams, scoring 18 of his teams first 38 points. Bryant responded to the timeout, ripping off a 12-0 run in the next 2:20 to make it a six-point game. Cramer started the run with a three from the top and a thunderous alley-oop finish in transition. Farris then swished a three from the wing and Cramer finished two more at the rim to make it a six-point game. Bryant held the Rams to just one field goal over the final 3:48 of the first half to close the half on a 16-4 run. Timberlake’s offensive putback with eight seconds left sent Bryant to the locker room down 42-36. Bryant opened the second half with a strong surge to make it a one-point game, 57-58, at the under-16 media. Withers sparked the run with a three from the top. The field goal pushed him past 1,000 career points. Mitchell then scored six-straight points to give Bryant a 49-48 lead with 15:50 to play. Cramer and Johnson then traded threes as Fordham led, 53-52, with 13:58 left. Great ball movement would then lead to a Farris three from the wing to give the Bulldogs a 58-55 lead with 11:54 left. Fordham had an answer, ripping off a 7-2 run to take a 62-60 lead with 10:02 left. Matt Zona’s only three of the afternoon put the Rams ahead by two. The Rams’ run would stretch to 13-4 with back-to-back layups from Medor, giving the Rams a 68-62 lead with 7:42 left. Bryant wouldn’t go away, pulling even at 71-71 with 5:34 to play. Withers hit a big three and Evans had a putback slam. The Black and Gold then grabbed a 74-71 lead as Timberlake converted a putback into a three-point play. Fordham quickly answered with a bucket and a Bryant turnover. Johnson was fouled shooting a three and sank all three free throws to give Fordham a 76-74 lead with 4:46. The Rams continued to try and pull away but Bryant kept it to one possession over the final four minutes. Cramer went 1-of-2 from the line with 56 seconds left to put Bryant down one, 82-83. Fordham then missed the front end of a one-and-one and commited a foul. Cramer sank both free throws to give the Bulldogs a 84-83 lead with 17.6 seconds to go. Rivera would then sink his only three of the afternoon with 6.8 seconds left to give Fordham an 86-84 lead. Bryant’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was short. Stats Bryant finished the game 27-of-61 (44.3 percent) from the field, 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from three and 24-of-31 (77.4 percent) from the line. Fordham held a slim 38-37 edge on the glass and forced Bryant into 16 turnovers. Both teams finished with 12 offensive rebounds and finished 42-42 in paint points. Cramer posted 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He was 2-of-2 from three and made 5-of-7 from the line. He added four boards. Timberlake collected a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He added eight assists and two steals. Evans chipped in 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Game Notes Bryant and Fordham were meeting for the first time since December 2019. The series is now even, 1-1. Bryant is now 2-4 in games decided by less than two points. It marks the third time this year that Bryant has lost with less than 15 seconds left in the game. Timberlake finished in double figures for the 10th time this year and the 63rd time in his career. Timberlake posted his second 20-point game of the year and 11th of his career. Timberlake also posted his fourth double-double of the year and the 24th of his career. Timberlake now has 995 points as a Bulldog. Cramer posted his fourth double-digit scoring effort the year and the 17th of his career. Cramer’s 20 points marked his first career 20-point effort. His 23 points are a career high. Withers surpassed 1,000 career points with a three-point field goal at the 17:59 mark of the second half. Evans finished in double figures for the 11th time this year and the 13th time in his career. Up Next Bryant will have over a week off before returning to the court on Sunday, December 22 at Towson. Categories: College Sports, Sports Tags: Bryant Bulldogs, Bryant University