Bryant Gives Up Late Lead in Loss to Fairleigh Dickinson

Junior Chris Childs scored a season-high 22 points and sophomore Charles Pride registered his third double-double of the year but Fairleigh Dickinson erased a seven-point deficit in the final two minutes to defeat the Bryant University men’s basketball team, 81-79, on Saturday night.

Pride hit a three to make it 79-72 with 1:46 left but the Knights closed the game on a 9-0 run to stun the Black and Gold. Brandon Powell answered the Pride three on the other end, Joe Munden canned two free throws and Jahlil Jenkins hit a pull-up three with 18 seconds left to push the Knights in front.

Childs finished 6-of-12 from beyond the arc for a season-high 22. Pride posted 14 points, 14 boards, five assists and six steals in an all-around effort. Redshirt senior Hall Elisias posted 18 points and five boards and classmate Peter Kiss had 10 points and five assists.

Game Information
Bryant 79, Fairleigh Dickinson 81
Records: Bryant 10-4, 6-3 NEC | FDU 4-9, 3-4 NEC
Location: Rothman Center

Key Moments

Powell’s immediate answer of Pride’s three kept the Knights in the game late. Jenkins then broke the Bulldogs’ hearts with a three from the top with just 18 seconds left.
How it Happened

Off for 14 days, Bryant returned to the court with an alley-oop from Michael Green III to Elisias to open the scoring.
Another alley-oop to Elisias pushed the lead to 9-3.
That started a stretch in which Elisias scored eight-straight points for the Black and Gold.
Elisias then dished to Childs for a three to make it 18-14.
Childs struck again at the 5:00 mark, with his trifecta giving the Black and Gold a 33-25 lead.
Jenkins then scored eight-straight points for the Knights, cutting Bryant’s lead to 36-33 with 3:25 left.
FDU made it a two-point game at the break as Jenkins hit a near half-court buzzer-beater.
The Bulldogs and Knights traded threes to open the second half before Elisias threw down another thunderous alley-oop from Kiss.
After FDU took the lead on a three, Childs knocked down a trifecta to make it 53-51.
The game would remain tight, with a quick five-point spurt from Kiss giving the Bulldogs the edge, 63-58, with 10:54 left. He threw down a breakaway dunk and then drilled a triple in transition.
Elisias added another highlight-reel slam at the 7:44 mark, leaping high to throw down the lob from Pride. The alley-oop came in transition and gave the Black and Gold a 68-63 lead.
Jenkins would tie the game at 72 with a three at the 4:32 mark.
Back-to-back threes from Childs and Pride then pushed Bryant ahead by seven.
FDU answered with a three on its next possession and then converted down the stretch.
Stats

Bryant finished 28-of-61 (45.9 percent) from the field, 12-of-30 (40.0 percent) from three and 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) from the line.
Bryant was outrebounded, 39-37. The Bulldogs allowed FDU 16 offensive boards.
Bryant posted 21 assists on 28 made baskets but turned the ball over 19 times.
Childs posted 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three. He added four boards.
Pride posted a double-double of 14 points and 14 boards. He was 5-of-14 from the field. Pride added five assists and six steals.
Elisias finished 9-of-9 from the field for 18 points. He also had five boards.
Kiss was 4-of-9 from the field for 10 points, while adding three boards and five assists.
Green III had five assists.
Luis Hurtado Jr. posted six points and six rebounds.
Nathaniel Stokes contributed five points and two assists off the bench.
Game Notes

Bryant has lost seven-straight to FDU and has not won in Hackensack since Jan. 4, 2016 (five games).
Childs posted a season-high with 22 points and is the first Bulldog since Adam Grant on Feb. 29, 2020 to make six three-pointers.
Childs now has two 20-point games this season.
Pride recorded his third double-double of the season.
Pride posted a career-high six steals in the game. The six steals are tied for third-most in a game in DI program history.
Elisias finished the game 9-for-9 from the field, the best shooting performance by a Bulldog in DI program history.
Elisias’ 18 points are a career high.
Up Next

Bryant and Fairleigh Dickinson wrap up their two-game set on Sunday afternoon. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m.