Earl Timberlake and Bryant basketball give 700 schoolchildren plenty of reasons to cheer

SMITHFIELD — For someone who doesn’t like morning games, Earl Timberlake has a funny way of showing it.

The Bryant men’s basketball team hosted Drexel for an 11 a.m. tip-off on Friday and the early start had little effect on their play. The Bulldogs put together 40 minutes of the type of basketball they hope to play regularly once America East games begin and Timberlake was in the middle of everything. The senior gave the 700 children who were at the Chace Center as part of Kids Day something to remember, recording his first collegiate triple-double as the Bulldogs buried the Dragons, 104-86, sending them to their holiday break with smiles on their faces.

“I didn’t even realize it. For real, I was just playing to win,” said Timberlake, after his 15-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist performance. “I didn’t realize it until Coach told me with like five seconds [left].”

“We’ve talked about him having a triple-double. We’ve talked about it before,” Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr. said. “You knew it could happen, you’re waiting for it to happen. At halftime, I kind of noticed it, I was like ‘man, he’s going to be close.’

“The effort he gives every day, it couldn’t happen to a better person, better guy, a better teammate. I’m running out of adjectives to talk about Earl Timberlake because everything he does is just about business.”

More: This was not the kind of history Rhode Island men's basketball was looking to make

More: Here's how Providence basketball opened its Big East season in style vs. No. 6 Marquette

Timberlake’s teammates clearly knew what was going on because the final minute turned into a concerted effort to get the final two assists. With 1:25 left, Timberlake pulled down an offensive rebound and got the ball to Sherif Gross-Bullock, who proceeded to bury a 3-pointer from 30 feet for assist No. 9. On Bryant’s next possession, Timberlake threw a pass to Rafael Pinzon, who knocked down a 15-footer, giving Timberlake the program’s second’s Division I triple-double.

“It felt good that we got the win, but I give credit to all my teammates,” Timberlake said. “They put me in position to do that.”

Teamwork was key in Bryant’s win.

Up against one of the country’s best defenses — led by two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year Amari Williams — the Bulldogs avoided playing the type of game the Dragons would have preferred.

Bryant was giving up size — Williams is 6-foot-10, 265 pounds — but spaced the floor and used its speed to its advantage. The ball movement was something to watch as Bulldogs turned bad looks into good ones and passed up good shots for great ones.

More: Bryant basketball makes history. Here's how the Bulldogs stunned No. 10 Florida Atlantic

That led to make after make after make. Bryant made 17 of 31 from the floor in the first half (54.8 percent) and 5 of 11 on 3-pointers (45.5 percent) and never forced a look. Tied at 12, Bryant went on a 12-2 run to build a double-digit lead and expanded it to 44-27 at halftime.

The Bulldogs continued to push the pace and move the ball in the second half and with a big lead, it forced Drexel, which beat Villanova earlier this season to play a game it wasn’t comfortable with. Bryant continued to grow the lead and went ahead, 55-33, on a Gross-Bullock 3-pointer 3:45 into the second half.

“I’d love to have a 7-footer that can block shots, run the floor, play off the bounce, make a 3. I’d love that guy,” Martelli said. “But we don’t. We’re built a certain way and it’s just about finding what is our advantage.”

The situation of Friday’s game was certainly advantageous to the Bulldogs, who started prepping for the early tip during the week.

Timberlake said he woke up about an hour earlier than he would on a typical game day. Martelli had his team arrive at the Chace Center around 9, where smoothies and bagels replaced the typical pregame meal.

Once the game started, Timberlake said it felt like any other game.

“When you’re on the court, you get into the thick of it and competing, your adrenaline gets running,” Timberlake said. “It’s easy to play then.”

The Chace Center was noisier than it would be for a typical game during winter break. The bleachers behind the benches were filled with elementary and middle school students from around Rhode Island who had no issues following instruction when the scoreboard asked fans to make noise.

When Drexel went to the free-throw line, the high-pitched squeals were ear-piercing. Some players on Bryant’s bench covered their ears with towels and others looked at each other as the volume grew. With 10 minutes left in the game, Martelli smirked on the sideline as the noise hit what seemed to be its peak.

“We heard them,” Timberlake said. “We kind of fed off them too, so we appreciate them coming to our game. Hopefully they can come to a few more.”

“I live it 24/7,” said Martelli, who has three kids. “It’s great. Like Earl said, I’m so thankful for everyone who came.”

Martelli’s biggest concern for Friday was keeping his team focused with the impending Christmas break coming. Now the concern shifts to getting the Bulldogs to refocus once they return. Players will report back the night after Christmas with the first practice the following day before playing at Ole Miss on New Year’s Eve.

With how Bryant handled Friday, Martelli was more than confident in the team’s ability to press pause and restart everything once the players arrive back on campus. The Bulldogs have shown tremendous growth in December and look more than ready for what the rest of the season holds.

“The team is a living, breathing thing. It’s constantly evolving, constantly growing, constantly mixing and matching,” Martelli said. “We’ve dealt with injuries, we’ve dealt with this and that and you’re just watching it grow together.

“I’m pleased with where we are but I also know we’ve got a bear ahead of us with Ole Miss and then conference play is going to be a bear and we have to be ready.”

DREXEL (86): Monroe 3-7 2-3 8, Okros 0-3 0-0 0, Williams 4-6 4-6 12, Moore 13-24 5-5 34, House 2-7 0-0 5, Bergens 4-11 0-0 9, Oden 3-9 0-0 8, Turner 1-2 1-2 3, Magee 1-2 0-0 2, Butler 1-4 3-5 5, Hargrove 0-0 0-0 0, Blakeney 0-0 0-0 0; totals 32-75 15-21 86. BRYANT (104): Withers 1-2 0-0 3, Brelsford 5-6 0-0 13, Gross-Bullock 10-16 4-4 29, Timberlake 5-7 5-10 15, Rivera 8-15 0-0 17, Pinzon 7-13 2-2 20, Edert 3-3 0-0 7, Kiggins 0-0 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0, Shannon 0-0 0-0 0; totals 39-62 11-16 104.

Halftime — Bryant 44-27. 3-point goals — Drexel 7-20 (Moore 3-6, Oden 2-4, Bergens 1-2, House 1-4, Butler 0-1, Okros 0-3), Bryant 15-22 (Gross-Bullock 5-8, Pinzon 4-6, Brelsford 3-4, Edert 1-1, Withers 1-1, Rivera 1-2). Rebounds — Drexel 35 (Williams 10), Bryant 33 (Timberlake 11). Assists — Drexel 10 (Williams 5), Bryant 22 (Timberlake 10). Total fouls — Drexel 17, Bryant 17. Records — Drexel 7-6, Bryant 8-6. A — 1,201 (2,000).

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant basketball beats Drexel, 104-86, behind Earl Timberlake's big game