There’s nothing like the first time! For the first time in program history, Bryant is America East men’s basketball champions. The top-seeded Bulldogs completed their championship quest by defeating third-seeded Maine, 77-59, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Chace Athletic Center on Saturday morning.
Bryant, which will make its second-ever NCAA tournament appearance, used a 22-8 run bridging the first and second halves to take control of the game. The Bulldogs swept the regular-season and tournament championships.
America East Player of the Year Earl Timberlake Jr. (6'6''-G-2000) was named the Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player of the playoffs after providing 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals in the title game. He averaged 18.7 points, 5.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.0 steals per game across Bryant’s three tournament contests.
Timberlake was joined on the All-Championship team by teammates Barry Evans (6'8''-F) and Keyshawn Mitchell (6'11''-F) as well as Maine’s AJ Lopez and Kellen Tynes (6'3''-G).
Maine’s Killian Gribben (6'10''-F-2003), a junior with a 3.86 GPA majoring in mathematics, was the men’s basketball Elite 18 honoree for having the highest GPA among champion game participants.
Winners of 17 of their last 19 games, Bryant will learn its postseason draw during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS.

How it Happened
Bryant jumped out to a 6-2 lead but the game was tied 8-8 at first media timeout with 14:24 left in the first.
The game went back and forth until a Barry Evans layup with 9:38 left in the first put Bryant up 20-14.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 10 with 5:19 left in the frame. After a Connor Withers (6'8''-F) block on the defensive end, Evans finished the fast break with a two-hand slam to put the home team up 28-18.
A pair of AJ Lopez free throws cut the deficit to six with 2:51 left in the first, but Bryant opened their largest lead before the break as Earl Timberlake Jr.’s bucket in the final seconds of the stanza put Bryant up 38-27.
The Bulldogs extended their lead by scoring the first six points of the second half, capped off by Keyshawn Mitchell’s three pointer to give them a 44-27 advantage 1:23 in.
Bryant grew that lead to 21 on Evans’ layup with 9:09 left to go up 61-40.
Maine used an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 13 with 5:56 left. The Black Bears didn’t get any closer as the Bulldogs finished with an 18-point victory.

Inside the Numbers
Bryant dominated the glass, holding a +20 rebounding edge, outrebounding Maine, 45-25.
The Bulldogs shot 50.0 percent while holding the Black Bears to just 38.6 percent shooting.
Four players scored in double figures for Bryant, led by Evans with 19 points and seven rebounds. Mitchell added 12 points and 12 boards while Connor Withers chipped in seven points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
AJ Lopez had a team-high 20 points for Maine, while Kellen Tynes added 10 points, six assists and four steals.

The History
This is Bryant’s first America East title in its first championship game appearance. The Bulldogs are the 14th different school to claim the America East crown.
The victory was Bryant’s 23rd of the season, a new Division I program record.
The No. 1 seed is now 10-1 all-time vs. the No. 3 seed in the championship.
Home teams are now 35-7 all-time in America East championship games.
Bryant is the 29th top seed to win the America East Tournament.
Maine, which was making its first championship game appearance since 2004, fell to 0-5 all-time in championship games

AEC Final:
Bryant - Maine 79-59

AEC Semifinals:
Bryant - UAlbany 91-78
Vermont - Maine 42-57

AEC Quarterfinals:
Bryant - UMBC 85-74
Vermont - New Hampshire 64-57
Maine - UMass Lowell 72-64
UAlbany - Binghamton 69-66

Courtesy of americaeast.com