Preview: New Hampshire Wildcats at Bryant Bulldogs

SMITHFIELD, R.I. (Interstat) — Two America East men’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Saturday when the New Hampshire Wildcats visit the Bryant Bulldogs at Chace Athletic Center.

New Hampshire (8-12) enters on a modest upswing, having won three of its last four conference games, including a 66-61 victory over Massachusetts-Lowell on Thursday. The Wildcats are led by guard Jack Graham, who scored 16 points in that win and is averaging 12.4 points over his last five contests. His consistent play has been pivotal during the Wildcats’ recent improved stretch, which includes an 80-72 win over Albany and a triple-overtime thriller against Binghamton.

Bryant (6-15) looks to snap a three-game skid, most recently a narrow 63-60 road loss to Binghamton on Thursday. In that game, Bulldogs forward Keegan Harvey delivered a career-high 28 points. Harvey has emerged as a primary scoring threat, averaging 16.3 points over his last three outings. His performance will be critical for a Bryant squad that has struggled offensively, failing to reach 65 points in four of its last six games.

The matchup features contrasting trajectories within the conference. New Hampshire has shown resilience in close games, with a 3-1 record in contests decided by five points or fewer since Jan. 10. Bryant, meanwhile, has found wins elusive, with its only victory since Jan. 3 coming in overtime against Maryland-Baltimore County on Jan. 15.

Historically, this is the first scheduled meeting between the programs as America East foes, adding a new chapter to the conference slate. Both teams will look to this game as a chance to build confidence ahead of the final month of the regular season.

Saturday’s contest tips off at 4 p.m. EST. The teams are scheduled to meet again in the regular-season finale on March 3 in Durham, New Hampshire.