Onyekaba, Rams Power Past Maine in Opener, 97-77

Rhode Island (1-0) showed off its new muscle under the basket, using
its size to control the paint in a 97-77 victory over Maine in the
season opener for both teams Friday.

The 97 points were the most for the Rams under head coach Dan Hurley.
Rhody controlled the game throughout, never trailing and pushing its
lead as high as 29 points.

Center Ifeanyi Onyekaba
was dominant in the middle, posting a double-double in his debut for
the Rams. Onyekaba finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He and
forward Gilvydas Biruta (8 rebounds) helped Rhody enjoy a 55-28 edge on the boards.

Maine (0-1) managed to shoot 41.8 percent from the floor, but was just 4-of-22 from beyond the arc. Xavier Pollard led the Black Bears with 23 points, while Dimitry Coronel had 18 points.

Inside the Box Score

• Four different Rams reach double figures in scoring. In addition to Onyekaba's 21, Jarelle Reischel had 18, Hassan Martin scored 15 and Xavier Munford added 11 points.
• Rhode Island got 36 points from its bench, including 15 points from Hassan Martin in just 13 minutes of action.
• Biggie Minnis filled out the stat sheet, getting seven rebounds, a team-high five assists, three points and a blocked shot.
• The Rams outscored Maine 52-44 in the paint.
• The focus on crashing the boards was evident, as 11 different players grabbed at least two rebounds for Rhode Island.
• Both teams took care of the basketball, combining for just 27 turnovers on the night.
• Rhode Island enjoyed an advantage at the charity stripe, attempting 49 free throws compared to 24 for Maine.
• Mike Powell, E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin each had two steals for Rhode Island.
• Twelve different players scored for Rhode Island, including walk-ons Eric Youncofski and A.J. Kemp.