Rhode Island College Sneaks Past Southern Maine
Ken Bell
RIC news release…
SANDERS THREE HELPS ANCHORMEN SNEAK PAST SOUTHERN MAINE, 71-66
Gorham,
Maine-Junior guard Nyheem Sanders (Pawtucket, RI) sank a three-pointer
with 36 seconds left to lead Rhode Island College to a 71-66 win over
Southern Maine in Little East Conference men's basketball action played
at Hill Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
The Anchormen
(11-2, 3-1 LEC) were trailing by two, 66-64, when senior guard Tahrike
Carter (Brooklyn, NY) set up Sanders for what proved to be the decisive
shot in the game. Carter, senior center Steven Roberts (New Haven, CT)
and junior guard Michael Palumbo (Providence, RI) sank free throws in
the waning seconds to seal the victory for the visitors.
Sophomore
guard Alex Cruz (East Hartford, CT) scored a career-high 12 points, to
go along with six boards and two steals. Carter posted 11 points, 11
rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Roberts fell one
rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, while
Palumbo netted 11 on the strength of three from downtown. Sophomore
forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) grabbed 11 boards.
RIC
shot 37 percent (23-for-62) from the field, 46 percent (6-for-13) from
three-point land and 68 percent (19-for-28) from the free throw line.
The Huskies (8-6, 3-1 LEC) shot 44 percent (29-for-65) from the floor,
20 percent (3-for-15) from long range and 39 percent (5-for-13) from the
charity stripe.
The Anchormen held a decisive, 48-36, advantage in rebounding.
Southern
Maine senior Alex Kee (Bath, ME) hit a baseline jumper off an inbounds
pass to put the Huskies up 64-62 with 3:40 left to play. Carter then
fouled and made both of his free throws to tie the game at 64 with 1:08
remaining. Senior Ethan Gaye (Providence, RI) came up with a steal on
the Huskies' next possession, and Carter dished it to Sanders who hit a
three that put the Anchormen up 67-64 with 36 left on the clock.
Southern
Maine junior Conor Sullivan (Scarborough, ME) hit a 15-foot jumper to
pull the Huskies within one, 67-66, with 19 seconds left, but the
Huskies were forced to foul, and free throws and a key offensive rebound
by Roberts sealed the deal for the Anchormen.
Down by
12, 37-25, with a just over two minutes left to play in the first half,
the Huskies went on a 5-0 run and a 4-0 run to cut the Anchormen lead to
four, 38-34, heading into the break.
USM then scored
three straight points to begin the second half to take its first lead of
the game, 39-38. RIC then built its lead back up to nine, 52-43, with
12:39 remaining, but Southern Maine would go on an 11-0 run over the
next three minutes to take a 54-52 lead at the 8:26 mark. The run was
highlighted by four points from Kee and Sullivan, and three points from
junior James Odneal (Pontiac, MI). Each teams' lead wouldn't exceed more
than two points over the next eight minutes until Sanders hit his
three-pointer.
Sullivan led the way for Southern Maine
with a game-high 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Odneal finished
with 19 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and one assist, and Kee
added eight points and three steals. Freshman Cole Libby (Buxton, ME)
chipped in with seven points, four assists, three rebounds, and two
steals off the bench, and senior Sean Bergeron (Kennebunk, ME) had a
game-high four steals.
In upcoming action, Rhode Island
College will continue Little East Conference play at home against Keene
State on Saturday, Jan. 12 (3 p.m.).
