FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2008

Rhode Island College Men’s Basketball Score Report

Providence, RI

1

2

Final

^#8 UMass Dartmouth (16-0, 6-0)

36

41

77

Rhode Island College (13-3, 5-1)

37

33

70

RIC’S UPSET BID COMES UP SHORT
Holbrook’s Double-Double Leads UMD to, 77-70, Win

            Providence, RI— The Rhode Island College men’s basketball team fell to No. 8 UMass Dartmouth, 77-70, in a battle of Little East Conference heavyweights Tuesday night at The Murray Center. RIC suffers its first home loss (6-1) of the season, falling to 13-3 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Corsairs remain unbeaten with a 16-0 overall record and a 6-0 mark in the LEC.

The game featured 13 lead changes and four ties in a nip and tuck affair. UMass Dartmouth senior center Dan Holbrook (Lexington, MA) was a force down low, logging 20 points and 18 rebounds, 13 of which were on the defensive side, in a double-double effort. Holbrook shot 8-for-11 from the field.

The Anchormen led by one point, 37-36, at the half and by eight, 60-52, with 13:36 left in the game on a junior guard Bobby Bailey (Fall River, MA) three-pointer. The Corsairs went on an 11-2 run over next 4:25 to take a 63-62 lead. Freshman forward Brandon Stephens (Dorchester, MA) and Holbrook keyed the run with seven and four points, respectively.

Rhode Island College bounced back to take a 66-63 lead on layups by junior guard Cameron Stewart (Newport, RI) and freshman point guard Antone Gray (Providence, RI) with 5:32 left in the contest. Stephens answered with a jumper and senior forward Cory Tynes (Springfield, MA) made a layup and the ensuing free throw after being fouled to put the Corsairs up, 67-66. UMass Dartmouth sealed the victory with five straight free throws down the stretch to preserve win.

Stephens and senior guard A.J. Tavares (New Bedford, MA) posted 15 and 10 points, respectively, while junior guard Reece Freeman (Cambridge, MA) handed out a game-high six assists.

Rhode Island College had four players reach double digits in scoring, led by junior forward Kaseem Johnson’s (New Haven, CT) sixth double-double of the season (12 points, 15 rebounds). Bailey logged 12 points, while Stewart and Gray contributed 10 point each.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will play at UMass Boston on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. The Corsairs will host Western Connecticut on Jan. 26.

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