FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 16, 2008

Rhode Island College Men’s Basketball Score Report

Providence, RI

1

2

Final

Southern Maine (12-11, 7-5)

37

35

72

Rhode Island College (18-5, 10-2)

36

43

79

ANCHORMEN COLLAR HUSKIES IN, 79-72, WIN
Bailey’s Clutch Three Helps Secure Precious LEC Victory

            Providence, RI—Junior guard Bobby Bailey (Fall River, MA) hit a three-pointer with 3:25 left in regulation, while classmate forward Kaseem Johnson (New Haven, CT) converted a layup on a crafty pass from junior guard Cameron Stewart (Newport, RI) a minute later, to help lead Rhode Island College to a 79-72 win over Little East foe Southern Maine on Saturday afternoon at The Murray Center in collegiate men’s basketball action.

The Huskies (12-11, 7-5) trimmed the Anchormen’s (18-5, 10-2) lead to three points, 64-61, prior to a RIC timeout. Bailey’s trey and Johnson’s bucket on the ensuing possession built the lead back up to eight points and kept USM at bay for the remainder of the contest.

The Anchormen held a six-point lead in the early going until Southern Maine senior guard Foster Oakley (Mt. Vernon, ME) nailed a three-pointer to knot the contest, 16-16, with 11:36 left in the first half. Rhode Island College unleashed a 17-0 run to build a 33-16 advantage with 7:07 left. Johnson and Stewart keyed the run with six and five points, respectively.

The Huskies surged back with a 21-3 run of their own to take a one-point, 37-36, lead into halftime. Senior forward Drew Coppenrath (Barnet, VT) scored 10 points in the run, which was capped by a senior forward Jamaal Caterina (Portland, ME) three-pointer to end the stanza.

Rhode Island College came out of the intermission on a 10-0 run to take a lead it would never relinquish. Junior guard Tirrell Hill (Bronx, NY) and classmate center Wil Lyons (Warwick, RI) each logged five points in the run. The Huskies made it interesting, going on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three points prior to Bailey’s three-pointer.

Hill led RIC with 18 points, while Stewart logged 17 of his own. The two combined for six of the Anchormen’s nine treys on the day with four and two, respectively. Bailey finished with nine points, seven boards, four assists, two blocks and one steal. Johnson logged 12 points and six rebounds.

Coppenrath led all scorers with a game-high 23 points, connecting on 10-of-15 shooting. Caterina posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore forward Greg Whitaker (Presque Isle, ME) contributed 14 points.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will host Western Connecticut on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Junior Guard Bobby Bailey

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