The Bryant men’s basketball team defeat the University of Maine by a score of, 81-55, on Saturday afternoon in at the Chace Athletic Center. With the win, the Bulldogs officially open conference play at 1-0 and moves to 7-9 on the year. Bryant is back home next Saturday, January 11 to take on the University of Vermont. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m. Earl Timberlake recorded a double-double for the Bulldogs with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Barry Evans added 18 points of his own; going 7-10 from the field. Kvonn Cramer would put up double figures with 11 points, along with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Game Information Bryant 81, Maine 55 Records: Bryant 7-9 | Maine 8-8 Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, RI) Attendance: 795 Key Moments Bryant would come out of the break and go on a 13-0 run; holding Maine scoreless through the first 6 minutes of the second half. How it Happened The Black Bears would start off the game on a 12-6 run. Maine’s AJ Lopez would have 8 of their first points. Barry Evans would pour in five straight points and Kvonn Cramer would knock down a three pointer to tie the score at 18 heading into the under 12 media. Earl Timberlake would then proceed to drill a three and Jakai Robinson would knock down a jumper to give Bryant a one point advantage at the under 8 media. Bryant would go on an 8-2 run which featured an nice finish under the basket by Barry Evans. The Bulldogs would go into the half with a 38-25 lead. Barry Evans would have 13 pts in the first half. Bryant would come out of the break and go on a 13-0 run; holding Maine scoreless through the first 6 minutes of the second half. Bryant would extend their lead to 30 heading into the under 12 media thanks to back to back buckets from Keyshawn Mitchell and an Aaron Davis three. Mitchell would have another putback dunk following a Bryant timeout to put the Bulldogs over 60 points. Maine would score 11 straight points to cut the Bulldogs lead to under 20. AJ Lopez would sink a pair of three pointers and knock down a jumper in that span. The Bulldogs would outscore Maine 43-30 in the second half. Stats Bryant finished the game 31-of-62 (50.0 percent) from the field, 10-of-26 (38.5 percent) from three and 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from the line. Bryant held a 45-24 advantage on the glass, a 19-2 edge in second chance points. The two team were even 16-16 in points off turnovers. The Bulldogs would finish with 20 assists in the contest. Timberlake posted a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Timberlake would finish 7-of-14 in shooting. He was 4-of-6 from the beyond the arc. Evans posted 18 points 8 rebounds, and 4 steals in the win. Cramer chipped in 11 points and eight boards, and 3 blocks. Connor Withers finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Davis collected nine points, and shot 60 percent from the field. Game Notes Saturday’s game saw the return of Rafael Pinzon for the Bulldogs. Pinzon would play 20 minutes and drained a pair of threes late in the second half. The Bulldogs snap their four game losing streak and move to 1-0 in conference play. Timberlake finished in double figures for the 13th time this year and the 66th time in his career. Timberlake recorded the 25th double-double of his career. Bryant is now against 4-2 all-time Maine and are 4-0 when facing the Black Bears at the Chace. This is the second straight year Bryant has opened conference play with a win. Up Next The Bulldogs will be back in action next Saturday (Jan. 11) when they will take on the University of Vermont at the Chace Athletic Center. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m. Categories: Sports