Ken Bell
kbell@ac6.com
The Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ LaDontae Henton and Kadeem Batts led Providence to a 72-57 nonconference victory over Rhode Island Thursday night.
Henton posted a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Friars (7-2). Batts went 8-for-19 shooting to finish with 23 points.
After trailing 27-26 at halftime, the Rams (2-7) allowed two Friars runs in the second half that put the game out of reach.
One minute into the second, Henton scored six points on an eight-point Providence run for a 41-33 lead. The Rams cut the deficit to three points, only to allow 10 consecutive points over the course of 4 minutes in the middle of the half.
Providence set the pace throughout the opening half, only ceding the lead twice for about 1 minute overall. Batts' 10 points and four rebounds carried the Friars in the first 20 minutes.
