Men's Basketball falls to Michigan State in NCAA First Round

Box Score CLEVELAND – The 15^th-seeded Bryant men’s basketball team trailed by just five at the half but second-seeded Michigan State proved to be too much, pulling away for a 87-62 victory in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships South Region.
 
The loss ends a historic season for the Black and Gold, the 2025 America East Regular Season and Tournament Champions. Bryant closes the year at 23-12, setting a DI program record for victories.
 
Rafael Pinzon led all scorers with 21 points, while Earl Timberlake chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Barry Evans added seven points, five boards and four assists and Connor Withers finished with five points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
 
Game Information
No. 2 Michigan State 87, No. 15 Bryant 62
Records: Bryant 23-12 | Michigan State 28-6
Location: Rocket Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)
Attendance: 17,392

Key Moments

• Michigan State used an 11-2 run in the middle of the second half to open up an insurmountable lead.

How it Happened

• Evans got things going on Friday night with a right-wing triple on the first possession.
• Bryant would hold MSU without a field goal for the first 3:06.
• A Timberlake fadeaway would give the Bulldogs a 7-4 lead.
• MSU would score the next six points but Withers drilled a three from the left wing to knot the game at 10-10.
• Pinzon’s first bucket of the game, a six-foot floater, sent the game to the under-12 media tied at 12-12.
• Pinzon then sent the arena into a frenzy as he drilled a transition three from the March Madness logo to make it 19-15.
• Mitchell drilled a left wing three to give the Bulldogs a 24-21 lead with 5:09 left in the first half.
• MSU, however, got an offensive rebound putback and a transition three-point play to take a 26-24 lead with 4:00 to play.
• A three from Jace Richardson would make it 10-0 run and give MSU a 31-24 lead with 2:15 left in the first half.
• Timberlake stopped the MSU run with a bucket inside and then worked his way to the basket with a up fake and finished with three seconds left to make it a five-point game, 33-28, at the half.
• Bryant two of its first three shots to open the half but back-to-back MSU threes made it 42-33 and forced a Bulldog timeout with 17:31 left to play.
• Timberlake would pull Bryant within six, 40-46, with a three-point play at the 15:07  mark.
• A pair of Richardson threes, however, helped MSU build a 10-point lead, 54-44, with 12:00 to play.
• The Spartans would push their lead to 13 before Pinzon drilled a three with 10:00 left to bring it back to 10, 49-59.
• MSU would answer with an 11-2 run to make it 70-51 with 6:00 left.
• The Spartans would hold off the Bulldogs from there.

Stats

• Bryant finished the game 26-of-70 (37.1 percent) from the field, 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) from three and 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from the line.
• MSU held a 54-29 edge on the glass and a 40-34 lead in the points in the paint.
• The Spartans turned 21 offensive rebounds into 31 second chance points.
• Bryant turned the ball over just seven times.
• Pinzon scored 21 points on 9-of-26 shooting. He added five rebounds.
• Timberlake finished with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He added four boards, five assists and two blocks.
• Withers posted five points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
• Evans contributed seven points, five rebounds and four assists.

Game Notes

• Bryant was competing in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in DI program history.
• The Bulldogs and Spartans were meeting for the first time in school history.
• Bryant’s 23 victories are the most in a single season in DI program history.
• Timberlake finished in double figures for the 29^th time this year and the 82^nd time in his career.
• Timberlake closes his career with 1,532 points (1,332 at Bryant), 908 rebounds (773), 413 assists (349), 133 blocks (115) and 125 steals (98).
• Pinzon finished in double figures for the 28^th time this season and 57^th time in his career.
• Pinzon recorded his 13^th 20-point game of the year and the 20^th of his career.
• Pinzon now has 1,005 points as a Bulldog. He is the 11^th player to score 1,000 points in DI program history at Bryant.
• Withers finishes his collegiate career with 1,253 points, 739 rebounds, 327 assists, 171 blocks and 190 steals in 149 games.