Here's how Bryant basketball found a way to 'get the W in February'

SMITHFIELD — Bryant men's basketball coach Phil Martelli Jr. was waiting for an offensive breakout like this one.

He had the perfect player against the right team to serve as the spark. Sherif Gross-Bullock tends to produce the spectacular when matched up with UMBC, and so it was again on Thursday night at Chace Athletic Center.

Gross-Bullock poured in a game-high 35 points and Rafael Pinzon knocked home a critical jumper down the stretch. His wing 3-pointer was enough for the Bulldogs to get over the line in this America East clash, as they held off a stubborn pack of Retrievers by a count of 99-95.

More: Saturday's game was a test for Bryant basketball. How will the Bulldogs respond to the loss?

Pinzon nailed his clutch shot from the right side with 1:27 to play. That came in an 89-88 game, and UMBC never enjoyed another possession with a chance to take the lead. Earl Timberlake’s breakaway dunk and Daniel Rivera’s steal inside the final 10.3 seconds sealed it.

“We made enough plays,” Martelli said. “Was it pretty? No. But it’s February. You’ve just got to find a way to get the W in February, and we did that.”

Ace Valentine’s layup on the break gave the Retrievers their final edge of the night at 88-87 with 2:18 to play. Pinzon hit Timberlake in the lane for a bucket and followed with one of his own, part of his 7-for-12 shooting on the night. Connor Withers made the pass from the top of the key and Pinzon shook free from his defender with a single dribble to the left.

“We’ve been in the gym,” Pinzon said. “Coach is always telling me to do extra. That’s a shot that we take every day.”

Withers was in foul trouble throughout the second half and was back in the game because Rivera had lost the contact lens in his left eye. The bit of good fortune that followed continued when Gross-Bullock and Pinzon each connected on a pair of free throws inside the final 48.3 seconds. Bryant built enough cushion to withstand a late 3-pointer by Dion Brown, who finished with a team-high 31 points.

“This time of year you’ve got to be able to find different ways to win games — whatever the game presents,” Martelli said. “Obviously tonight our defense wasn’t good enough, but our offense carried us.”

The Bulldogs went 4-for-26 from deep in a grinding road victory at NJIT and saw their five-game winning streak snapped in a 67-57 stinker against Vermont on Saturday. This outing was more free-flowing from the start as Bryant shot an even 60% and assisted on 14 of 21 field goals in the first half to take a 53-47 lead into the break.

“A little setback for a major comeback,” Pinzon said. “We believe in that. We have a lot of games left. We’ll just keep getting better.”

Gross-Bullock netted a career-high 41 points in a road win against UMBC (6-16, 1-6 America East) earlier this season and piled up 39 against them in a 2022-23 meeting. This was more of the same — 11-for-14 shooting, 7-for-9 from 3-point range and just one turnover in 37 minutes. Gross-Bullock added seven rebounds and two steals on a night in which he collected at least 20 points for the seventh time in his last nine games.

“It happens with certain guys,” Martelli said. “You talk about it in scouting. There are guys who have hurt you in the past, and you still talk about it a year later.”

Pinzon added 21 points for the Bulldogs (14-8, 6-1), matching the number he posted in a loss at Ole Miss on New Year’s Eve. The transfer from St. John’s hadn’t cracked 13 points in any of his previous six games but was the perfect complement for Gross-Bullock in this one. Rivera chipped in with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double while Timberlake had 11 points and eight rebounds despite a left ankle sprain suffered midway through the first half.

“There are enough weapons there,” Martelli said. “If one guy’s out, another guy can go in. I have confidence in that.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com     

On X: @BillKoch25 

UMBC (95): Lorca-Lloyd 4-7 3-4 11, Banks 8-20 5-7 26, Brown 13-20 2-3 31, Reese 1-3 0-0 2, Valentine 2-6 2-5 6, Short 3-4 1-2 7, Emmou 4-8 0-0 10, Chibambe 1-1 0-0 2, Sapp 0-0 0-0 0; totals 36-69 13-21 95. BRYANT (99): Withers 1-4 0-0 2, Brelsford 1-6 2-2 4, Gross-Bullock 11-14 6-13 35, Timberlake 5-9 1-2 11, Rivera 8-12 2-2 18, Pinzon 7-12 5-6 21, Edert 3-8 0-0 8, Latimer 0-0 0-0 0; totals 36-65 16-25 99.

Halftime — Bryant 53-47. 3-point goals — UMBC 10-24 (Banks 5-12, Brown 3-5, Emmou 2-4, Valentine 0-1, Reese 0-2), Bryant 11-25 (Gross-Bullock 7-9, Pinzon 2-5, Edert 2-6, Withers 0-2, Brelsford 0-3). Fouled out — Withers. Rebounds — UMBC 35 (Brown 12), Bryant 33 (Rivera 10). Assists — UMBC 13 (Valentine 4), Bryant 20 (Timberlake 7). Total fouls — UMBC 19, Bryant 15. A — 975 (2,000).

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Gross-Bullock leads Bryant basketball past UMBC, 99-95, on Thursday