Looking for First Win of Young Season Versus Bryant

The Game: Dartmouth (0-2) vs. Bryant (1-2)
Location: Leede Arena (2,100), Hanover, N.H.
Tipoff: Saturday, November 19 at 7 p.m.
Series Record vs. Bryant: First Meeting
Live Audio, Video - Dave Collins, play-by-play
Live Stats
Complete Game Notes

Last Home Game for Four Weeks
•    Dartmouth hosts Bryant for the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. The next time the Big Green play in Leede Arena will be on Dec. 17 against Elon after six games on the road.
•    The game features a reunion of coaches as Bryant Associate Head Coach Happy Dobbs was an assistant for Dartmouth Head Coach Paul Cormier for the first four years of the latter's first tenure with the Big Green.
•    Dartmouth is coming off a 12-point loss to Vermont in the Green's home opener, despite having a 10-point lead during the first half. The year before, Dartmouth had a 17-point lead during the second half over New Hampshire in the home opener before losing by two points.
•    Junior center Matt LaBove was the long Big Green player to reach double figures with 10 points, while rookie forward Gabas Maldunas pitched in nine with a team-high seven rebounds.
•    LaBove along with freshman Jvonte Brooks have yet to miss a free throw in 15 attempts between the two, with Brooks 8-of-8 and LaBove 7-of-7.
•    Rookie Will McConnell saw his first collegiate action, playing the final two minutes.

Series vs. Bryant
• This is the first game between the two schools, primarily due to the fact that this is Bryant's fourth season at the Division I level.
• The Bulldogs are just one of seven opponents this season that Dartmouth has never played. The other ones for certain are: Elon, Indiana-Purdue Ft. Wayne, Longwood and San Francisco. The Big Green will also play two other opponents in Alaska besides the Dons for the first time, both to be determined during the tournament.

Scouting the Bulldogs
•    Bryant began the season at the Basketball Travelers Classic, hosted by San Diego State, sandwiching a pair of losses (to the host and Southern Utah) around a 70-63 win over UC Davis.
•    Forward Alex Francis leads the Bulldogs with an average of 21.7 points per game while connecting on 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the floor, as well as 7.7 rebounds per game.
•    The top long-range threat is Frankie Dobbs, son of the associate head coach, who has ripped 13 threes already this year at a 54.2 percent clip (13-of-24) while averaging 17.7 ppg.
•    Only four players have been to the free throw line in the first three games, and just three have actually converted one — Francis and Dobbs, plus the other Bulldog in double figures at 11.3 ppg, Australian guard Corey Maynard.
•    Bryant features four international players on its roster, two of which are Aussies, with one from the Ukraine and another from Israel.
•    The Bulldogs are coached by Tim O'Shea (Boston College '84), who took over when Bryant transitioned to the Division I level in 2008-09. While only 19-73 at the university, he did post a 120-95 record during his seven years at Ohio, leading the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament in 2004-05.

Half a Home Opener
In its home opener against Vermont on Nov. 16, Dartmouth showed flashes of what can be in the future when the young team matures and finds consistency. The Big Green opened up a 10-point lead late in the first half before settling for a seven-point advantage at the break. In the second half, however, the Catamounts utilized their size advantage to take control of the game and send the Green to a 65-53 loss.

Rufful an Accomplished Thief
With three steals against Vermont, senior David Rufful vaulted himself into Dartmouth's all-time top 10 pilferers. He now has 110 for his career to put him ninth on the list. If he wants to overtake the top spot, however, he will need to average close to three steals a game for the rest of the season.

Freshman Window Washers
Although after two games Dartmouth ranks next-to-last in rebounding with just 23.0 per game, the bulk of the work on the glass has been performed by the rookies. Of the 43 rebounds that have been corralled by a Big Green player, 27 (62.8 percent) have been hauled in by a freshman with Gabas Maldunas leading the way with 10. Considering that the first-year guys have played 42.5 percent of the minutes, it's logical to assume they are earning their keep.

Schedules