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SMITHFIELD, R.I. — America East Basketball is here.

After two months of non-conference play, the Bulldogs begin their quest for a America East title. The women open their 16-game slate New Years Day at home against New Hampshire, while the men face Maine in a rematch of last year’s title game Saturday in Orono. 

The Tip


Bryant women’s and men’s basketball begin America East play this week. 
The women will host UNH (Jan. 1) and Maine (Jan. 3).
The men visit Maine on January 3.

What’s at Stake


Eight teams qualify for the America East Playoffs, with the champion receiving the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The top four seeds host quarterfinal games, with the semifinals and finals being played at home sites of the highest remaining seeds.

How to Watch


Tickets for all Bryant women’s and men’s home games are available at BryantTickets.com.
Home games are on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons.
All America East games are also streamed on ESPN+.

Year Four in the America East


Bryant begins its fourth season of America East play this week.
Both the women and the men have qualified for the playoffs in each of the first three years.
The women have hosted a quarterfinal game in each of the last two seasons, reaching the America East Semifinals for the first time last March.
The Bryant men are the defending America East Regular Season and Tournament champions, posting a 14-2 conference record before defeating UMBC, UAlbany and Maine to win the title.
Bryant is 33-15 in America East play, posting a 25-6 record over the last two seasons.

Bryant Women Off to Hot Start


Bryant enters league play as one of the league’s top teams, posting a 10-3 mark in non-conference.
The 10 non-conf wins are the most in program history and include a victory over ACC member Boston College.
Bryant currently ranks second in the league in scoring (70.0) and defense (53.5), holding opponents to a league-best .354 field goal percentage.
Bryant also ranks first in three point field goal percentage (37.2), rebounding (37.3) and assists (16.5).
Mia Mancini is enjoying a breakout year for the Bulldogs, ranking fifth in the league in scoring (14.8) and first in assists (4.7).
Nia Scott is averaging nearly a double-double with 12.9 ppg and 9.2 rpg.

Bryant Men Embracing Fresh Start


The Bulldog men welcome the New Year and a fresh start after a 4-10 mark in non-conference play.
Bryant is one of the nation’s most inexperienced teams but hopes that its core group of freshmen take the next step in league play.
Despite the record, the Black and Gold rank second in the league in scoring defense (72.1) and field goal defense (.434).
Aaron Davis III and Timofei Rudovskii have been two of the league’s premier three-point shooters. Davis is shooting 40 percent, which would rank him second in the league but he does not have enough attempts to qualify. 
Rudovskii ranks fourth at 37 percent and also ranks 10th in the league in scoring, 14th in rebounding, 17th in assists and fourth in steals.