Rhody Set to Open A-10 Tourney Play vs. Fordham on Thursday Afternoon

March 7, 2007

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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The first "season within a season" for Rhode Island - the non-conference slate - ended on Dec. 30 with a courageous effort at famed Allen Fieldhouse against the #9 ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

The second season - Atlantic 10 Conference play - saw the Rams (17-13) through one of their best starts in program history, at 10-3. URI ended at 10-6, after dropping a 71-69 decision at Richmond on March 3.

And tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Rhody embarks on its third and most important season in the quarterfinal round against #5 seeded Fordham. The game will be broadcast live locally on Cox Sports Television (ch. 3).

This will be the third meeting between the two Rams' squads. The two teams split their regular season meeting, with each team winning on its respective opponents home floor. URI captured a 45-44 win in the Bronx on Feb. 3, while Fordham took a 71-62 victory at the Ryan Center on Feb. 24.

Rhode Island, which earned the #4 seed in the A-10 Tournament, earned a first-round bye into Thursday's quarterfinal round. Fordham defeated #12 seeded Richmond, 63-61, in Wednesday's opening round matchup.

"We know it will be a real tough test tomorrow against Fordham." said head coach Jim Baron. "Both times that we faced them this season, the games took all 40 minutes to decide. It should be much of the same tomorrow."

Head coach Dereck Whittenberg's squad has posted a 18-11 overall record so far this season, while finishing with a 10-6 mark in Atlantic 10 play. Marcus Stout leads the Rams in scoring, at 15.6 points per game. Stout has also connected on 72 three-pointers this season. Bryant Dunston (14.8 ppg) also averages double-digits in the scoring column. Dunston leads the team in rebounding, at 7.4 boards per outing. Opponents are shooting 43.0% against Fordham, while scoring an average of 63.9 points per contest.

"In the first game at Fordham, Bryant Dunston scored 29 points and really gave us fits inside. He's one of the best post players in the league." Baron explained. "At home, Marcus Stout stepped up and showed why he's a talented all-conference player. With those guys, as well as Butler and Greene, they really have good balance. They can score inside, they can shoot it from the perimeter, and they play very, very physical. We're going to have to bring it tomorrow."

URI leads the all-time series between the two schools by a narrow 25-21 margin. Head coach Jim Baron has an all-time record of 16-8 against Fordham.

In addition to the television coverage - with Tom McCarthy and John Griffin calling the action live - fans can tune into the game live on the radio and internet. This and every Rams game will be broadcast live on WHJJ 920 am and 99.3 The Bridge FM. The audio feed will also be live on the internet via Yahoo! Sports. Steve McDonald and URI Hall of Famer Don Kaull will call all the action for the Rhode Island.