Men's Basketball Edged by Franklin Pierce, 90-84, in High-Energy Season Opener

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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Beginning their 2025-26 campaign inside a packed Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium, the University of Bridgeport's men's basketball team dropped a 90-84 matchup to Franklin Pierce on Friday night. The loss snapped a streak of five straight season-opening wins for the Purple Knights.

In a game that saw 26 lead changes and 16 ties, it was a decisive 6–0 burst by FPU in the closing moments that proved to be the difference. After UB erased a deficit with a 7–0 run to pull even at 84–84, the Purple Knights came up empty on their next four trips—two turnovers and two missed shots.

FPU capitalized with a go-ahead three-pointer and then strung together four straight defensive stops to lock down the road victory.

UB's bench served as a massive highlight, pouring in a terrific 47 points to keep the Purple Knights within striking distance. Bridgeport's depth saw 10 different players record field goals and 12 different players register points.

Junior Zay Sullivan led the home squad in his Purple Knight debut with 20 points—including four three-pointers—while Jayson Handy added 16 points and eight rebounds in a strong two-way performance.

Sullivan finished the contest with a team-best three steals as well.  

Junior Jaheem Tyson joined Sullivan and Handy in double figures (10 points) while Malikai Delgado chipped in seven points and a team-high four assists.

Jason Edokpayi anchored the interior for UB with a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks.

Three-point shooting served as a difference in the game as the Purple Knights went 10-of-32 (31.2%) from long range compared to a 9-for-16 (56.2%) effort from Franklin Pierce.

The foul line proved to be another separator on Friday night, as UB went 14-of-25 at the stripe while FPU converted 19 of its 25 attempts.

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The Purple Knights will look to rebound with a home game against in-state rival SCSU on Sunday at 5 p.m.