
How It Happened
Rhode Island fell behind early but fought for 40 minutes, dropping a 65-54 decision at Davidson on Tuesday night.
The Rams fell behind 18-4 just 7:23 into the game and trailed by as many as 16 points (28-12, 5:18) in the first half. But Rhody's trademark toughness showed, as the Rams closed the half on a 12-4 run. URI would trail, 32-24, at the break.
In the second half, Nicola Akele started for the injured Hassan Martin (knee) and knocked down a 3-pointer that cut it to five - at 34-29 with 17:52 left to play. The Wildcats - now 14-1 at home this season - pushed their lead back to double-digits - at 50-39 - with 10:29 to go.
Rhody got as close as seven, after a 3-point play by Jared Terrell made it 53-46 with 7:23 left. Davidson would pull away for good, scoring nine unanswered points over the next 4:20.
Inside the Box Score
- Jared Terrell led the Rams with 13 points. He was the lone Ram in double figures. The sophomore added five boards and two blocked shots.
- Terrell was one of two Rhody starters to log all 40 minutes on the floor. Four McGlynn also played the entire game, adding eight points.
- Earl Watson narrowly missed a double-double, tallying nine points and grabbing nine boards. Watson connected on 3-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
- Kuran Iverson posted his seventh game with double figures in the rebounding column, grabbing 10 boards in 20 minutes.
- Nicola Akele added eight points (3-5 FG; 2-3 3FG), three boards, and a blocked shot in 26 minutes.
- Jarvis Garrett led Rhody with three assists to go with seven points and two rebounds. He now had 120 assists on the season.
- Hassan Martin scored the first two field goals of the game for Rhode Island but was limited to just 10 minutes of action due to injury.
- Rhody connected on just 34.0% of its shot attempts from the floor (18-53) including 3-of-13 from beyond the arc. The Rams made 15-of-20 free throws, and made 10-of-11 in the second half.
- The Rams lost the battle of the backboards, 39-34. Both teams corralled eight offensive boards.
Stat of the Game, pt. I
17 - Rhode Island's bench scored 17 points and outscored the Davidson reserves, 17-7. It marked the first time in nine games that the Rams' bench outscored its opponent.
Stat of the Game, pt. II
6 - Rhody's six assists in the game was the lowest assist total since Jan. 30, when URI had just four vs. Saint Joseph's.
What's Next
Next up for Rhode Island is a road trip to Dayton on Saturday, Feb. 27 at UD Arena.
The Rams and Flyers tip off at noon in a game televised live nationally on ESPN2. Adam Amin and Craig Robinson will provide the broadcast call.
The Rhody Sports Network will also carry this - and every game - live on B101 (101.5 FM), with Steve McDonald and Don Kaull.