BRIDGEPORT, CT (Feb. 10, 2024) - Georgian Court Men's Basketball at one point led Bridgeport by 15 late in the first half, but the Purple Knights got hot from three in the second and came back for a 78-74 win over the Lions. 

How it Happened
• Georgian Court shot 47% and made 7-of-14 from three. Bridgeport shot just 41.4%, but made 10 three-pointers and attempted 15 more field goals.
• At the line, Georgian Court was 15-21 and the Purple Knights made 10-of-16.
• Rebounding numbers were even at 32, but UB grabbed three more on the offensive glass and outscore GCU 14-8 in second-chance points.
• The Lions turned the ball over 15 times while forcing just 11. Bridgeport used those 15 turnovers to score 22 points. 
First Half
• Georgian Court got out to a great start in the first half. An early 7-4 lead four minutes into the game forced a Bridgeport timeout.
• The Lions kept pouring it on, upping their lead to 10, 19-9, midway through.
• Georgian Court scored five straight in 43 seconds with a Clint Wright, Jr. three and an Anthony Rivera layup for a 26-14 lead.
• Wright pushed the lead all the way to 15, 39-24, following another three-pointer and a jumper.
• But over the final 1:40, Bridgeport scored seven unanswered including a three-pointer with just six seconds left to play and the Lions led by eight at the half, 39-31.
Second Half
• Early in the second, Georgian Court built their lead back up to 11, 47-36. 
• Bridgeport got hot scoring eight straight, cutting the lead down to three on a Prince Dillon three, 47-44, with 14:19 left to play and the Lions needed a timeout. 
• Following the timeout, UB scored another five straight to take their first lead since it was 4-2.
• Clint Wright answered with a three to take the lead back, but the Purple Knights sunk a three of their own, reclaiming the lead once again, 52-50.
• Both teams were finding their rhythm offensively, especially from three. UB hit triples on consecutive possessions as they extended the lead to five, 61-56, but Wright, Jr. answered with one of his own to keep it a one possession game midway through the half.
• Tied at 64, Anthony Rivera gave GCU the lead back with a layup. After Bridgeport went 1-2 at the line, Taheen Braswell-Brown made it a three-point game, 68-65 with 5:34 to play.
• Tied once again at 70, Rivera made another tough layup to bring the lead back to the Lions, 72-70. Bridgeport responded with a three and immediately called timeout up one, 73-72 with 2:17 left in the game.
• After Amari Jones went 1-2 at the line to tie, Bridgeport hit another three-pointer and this time stayed ahead for good.
• Up by two, Georgian Court had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds. Clint Wright, Jr. was off on a three, but the Lions were gifted another possession on a Purple Knights turnover. That resulted in a missed layup for the Lions who needed to foul.
• Bridgeport hit both free throws for a 78-74 lead and GCU didn't get another shot off, falling by four. 

Lion Stat Leaders
• Clint Wright, Jr. led all scorers with 24 points going 8-17 from the floor and 5-9 form three.
• Anthony Rivera added 17 on 7-12 shooting.
• Donavin Crawford scored 11 including making all six free throws.
• Amari Jones chipped in eight points and eight boards.
• Taheen Braswell-Brown scored six with a eight rebounds. 

For the Purple Knights
• Jayden Iturmendi scored 15 points to lead UB.
• D'Andre Collins added 13.
• Nick Traill finished with 10 points and seven assists.
• Malikia Delgado and Sam DeSouza also scored 10 each. 

News and Notes
• Clint Wright, Jr. entered the GCU all-time top-10 in rebounding. He's now in the Lions top-10 in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals.
• This was the first time Bridgeport has ever defeated the Lions. The all-time series is now 1-1.
• Georgian Court's 7-14 three-point shooting was their best percentage of the season. 

Up Next
• Georgian Court stays on the road for a midweek matchup against Goldey-Beacom on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.