RIC Topples UMass Boston

RIC Release

Providence, R.I.- Providence, R.I. – Junior guard Nyheem Sanders
(Pawtucket, RI) finished with a team-high 15 points, while sophomore
forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) added 11 points, seven rebounds,
three blocks, three steals and three assists, to lead the Rhode Island
College men's basketball team to a 63-49 victory over UMass Boston on
Saturday afternoon at The Murray Center in Little East Conference
action.

Sparked by a standout defensive performance in
the first half, Rhode Island College (10-2, 2-1 LEC) picked up its third
consecutive victory with the win over UMass Boston (6-5, 1-2 LEC). With
the win, Head Coach Bob Walsh moves into a tie with Bill Baird for
second all-time in program history with 168 career wins.

The
Anchormen held the Beacons to just six points through the first 17 and a
half minutes of action and went into the intermission with a 36-14
advantage after leading by as many as 25. Nine different Anchormen got
in the scoreboard in the first half alone as the hosts shot a modest 44
percent from the floor through the first 20 minutes.

“Our
defense in the first half was terrific,” said Walsh. “To hold them to
one point through the first nine minutes and to keep them to 22 percent
shooting with 16 turnovers in the first half is really special. We still
have to work on sustaining the intensity for 40 minutes, but we'll take
the result.”

Led by junior forward Rahshjeem Benson
(Boston, MA), UMass Boston managed to outscore the Anchormen, 35-27, in
the second half and at one point cut the margin to just 13 with 10:19
left to play, but couldn't overcome the 22-point halftime deficit.

Benson
led the Beacons with a game-high 16 points to go along with eight
rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Senior guard Mike
Mitchell Jr. (Dorchester, MA) added 11 points, five rebounds, five
steals and two assists, while sophomore forward Carl Joseph (Brockton,
MA) finished with five points and five rebounds.

Senior
center Steven Roberts (New Haven, CT) helped pace the Anchormen with
seven points and two blocks off the bench, while sophomore guard Alex
Cruz (East Hartford, CT) spearheaded the defensive effort with three
steals to go along with three points and four rebounds. Freshman center
Mike Neal (Pawtucket, RI) added five points and four rebounds, while
junior guard Michael Palumbo (Providence, RI) and senior guard Randy
Casey (Attleboro, MA) each finished with six points.

Rhode
Island College controlled the glass to the tune of 44 rebounds,
compared to just 32 for the Beacons, and shot 41 percent (21-for-51)
from the floor, compared to a 31 percent (16-for-51) shooting effort
from the visitors.

RIC shot 25 percent (3-for-12) from
long range and 60 percent (18-for-30) from the charity stripe, while
UMass Boston shot 17 percent (2-for-12) from beyond the arc and 58
percent (15-for-26) from the free throw line.

In upcoming
action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play
at Southern Maine on Tuesday, January 8 (7:30 p.m.).